Method and System for Conducting and Linking Play of a Lottery Game with a Televised Game Show Simultaneously with a Play-at-Home Version of the Game Show

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016101351-A1
Application number	US-201514880562-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method are provided for conducting a primary lottery game in conjunction with a televised game show and a play-at-home version of the show. In the primary lottery game, players purchase lottery tickets, with each ticket having a unique web code. Players of the primary lottery game become eligible to be a contestant in the show by accumulating a predefined set of game symbols in the lottery game. During broadcast of the game show, a plurality of game symbol codes are provided to at-home viewers of the show who are also players of the primary lottery game. The at-home viewers are able to access a website, enter the web code from their lottery ticket, enter one the game symbol codes broadcast with the game show, and play a web-based game to win a game symbol associated with the entered game symbol code.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for conducting a lottery game in conjunction with a televised game show and a play-at-home version of the televised game show, comprising:
establishing a primary lottery game in one or more lottery jurisdictions wherein players purchase lottery tickets to play the primary lottery game; establishing a televised game show wherein players of the primary lottery game become eligible to be contestants in the televised game show by accumulating a predefined set of game symbols, the televised game show having one or more games wherein winning contestants are awarded a prize; providing a unique web code on the lottery tickets; during broadcast of the televised game show in the one or more lottery jurisdictions, providing a plurality of game symbol codes to at-home viewers of the televised game show who are also players of the primary lottery game, the at-home viewers able to access a website, enter the web code from their lottery ticket, enter one the game symbol codes broadcast with the televised game show, and play a web-based game to win a game symbol associated with the entered game symbol code; and wherein upon acquiring all of the game symbols in the predefined set of game symbols, the at-home viewer advances towards becoming a contestant in a future episode of the televised game show.

2 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the lottery tickets in the primary lottery game have a game symbol associated therewith and the at-home viewers also accumulate game symbols by purchase of lottery tickets in the primary lottery game, wherein game symbols accumulated by the at-home viewers via play of the web-based games and play of the primary lottery game are combined to satisfy the predefined set of game symbols.

3 . The method as in claim 2 , wherein the game symbols are for play of a bonus game component of the primary lottery game that requires participants in the bonus game component to collect the predefined set of game symbols for entry into a pool, and periodically conducting bonus game drawings such that at least one of the participants in the pool is selected as a winner in each bonus game drawing.

4 . The method as in claim 3 , wherein the winner in the bonus game drawing is invited to be an audience member in a future episode of the televised game show and eligible for selection as a contestant in televised game show.

5 . The method as in claim 3 , wherein each lottery jurisdiction conducts a respective bonus game drawing and has a defined minimum number of winners from their respective bonus game drawing present in the televised game show audience, the contestants randomly drawn from the entirety of the audience.

6 . The method as in claim 3 , wherein each lottery jurisdiction conducts a respective bonus game drawing and has a defined minimum number of winners from their respective bonus game drawing present in the televised game show audience, at least one of the contestants randomly drawn from each lottery jurisdiction such that each lottery jurisdiction has at least one contestant in the televised game show.

7 . The method as in claim 3 , wherein upon satisfaction of the predefined set of game symbols, the participants in the bonus game component are awarded a defined number of entries in the bonus game drawing.

8 . The method as in claim 7 , wherein the defined number of entries is multiplied as a function of a multiplier symbol earned by the participant in play of a second primary lottery game that is played separately from the primary lottery game.

9 . The method as in claim 3 , further comprising providing the participants with a bonus game board that tracks status of the bonus game symbols acquired by the player from at-home play of the web-based games and purchase of the lottery tickets in the primary lottery game.

10 . The method as in claim 9 , wherein the bonus game board has a MONOPOLY game theme, the bonus game symbols identifying sets of property locations on the MONOPOLY game board.

11 . The method as in claim 10 , wherein the bonus game board is a virtual game board provided to the players via a website accessible by the players.

12 . The method as in claim 11 , further comprising establishing individual player accounts that are accessible by the participants via the website, the accounts including the participant's virtual game board updated with a status of the bonus game symbols accumulated by the participant.

13 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the game symbols associated with the game symbol codes are made known to the at-home viewer prior to their selection and entry of a particular game symbol code.

14 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the game symbol codes limit at-home play of the web-based game to a time corresponding to broadcast of the televised game show within the lottery jurisdiction where the at-home viewer is located.

15 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the game symbol codes are episode specific and valid only once and only during the broadcast time of the particular episode of the televised game show in which the game symbol codes are provided.

16 . The method as in claim 15 , wherein the game symbol codes are also geographic specific and valid only in a specific geographic region corresponding to the lottery jurisdiction in which the episode of the televised game show is broadcast.

17 . The method as in claim 15 , wherein the primary lottery game is established in a plurality of geographically different lottery jurisdictions, and the televised game show is broadcast in each of the different lottery jurisdictions, the game symbol codes assigned to each lottery jurisdiction being unique such that the at-home viewer must use the game symbol codes assigned to their respective lottery jurisdiction to play the web-based game.

Assignees

• Scient Games Int Inc

Inventors

• Rogers Kyle
• Saferin Steve
• Hill Amy
• Hoover Tina
• Saferin Amanda

Classifications

• G07F17/329 Primary

  Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards · CPC title

• A63F3/0605 Primary

  Lottery games · CPC title

• A63F2250/64

  used for radio or television, e.g. television shows; used in front of an audience · CPC title

• G07F17/3267

  Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games · CPC title