System and Method for Volatility Smoothing and Odds Enforcement Through Modified Wager/Draw Generation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016307405-A1
Application number	US-201615099711-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 16, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and method provide game operators with effective deployment of word-based games that removes and/or manages much of the volatility associated therewith. In various embodiments, the system includes a remote central host that processes stored game details according to a method, wherein the method includes identifying potential game tickets for generation, evaluating possible ticket outcomes associated with the potential tickets, and establishing a group of acceptable wagers and a group of represented letter combinations, wherein letter combinations can be filtered out based on repeated occurrences.

First claim

1 . A system for managing volatility in word-based wagering games, comprising:
at least one computer storage device containing game detail data, including one or more of: a list of acceptable words, a count of draw-able consonants and a count of draw-able vowels, a number of words to be provided on a ticket, a length of each of the number of words to be provided on a ticket, at least one processor coupled to the computer storage device and programmed to:
process the stored game details to identify potential tickets for generation, wherein each potential ticket for generation comprises at least a group of words;
produce a group of acceptable wagers and a group of represented letter combinations based on the group of words of the potential tickets, including a first acceptable wager comprising a first group of words and a first represented letter combination corresponding to the first group of words, wherein, for each additional potential ticket identified for generation, at least the letter combination corresponding to the group of words associated with the potential ticket is compared against at least the first represented letter combination, and storing the additional potential ticket identified for generation as an additional acceptable wager if the letter combination corresponding to the group of words for the additional potential ticket is not the same as, or is within an allowable number of duplicates of, the first represented letter combination.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the stored game details are processed to generate a group of acceptable wagers for a word-based wagering game prior to a wager being placed.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the stored game details are processed to generate an individual acceptable wager for a word-based wagering game as a wager is placed.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the step of processing the stored game details includes checking that acceptable words on a potential ticket require appropriate numbers of vowels and consonants.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the step of processing the stored game details includes removing potential tickets having an undesirable odds profile.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first acceptable wager and any additional acceptable wager are stored in the at least one computer storage device.

7 . The system of claim 1 , further including a set of printed game tickets comprising at least a first ticket with the first group of words associated with the first acceptable wager printed thereon, and at least one additional ticket with a group of words associated with an additional acceptable wager printed thereon.

8 . A computer-implemented method for managing volatility in word-based wagering games, comprising executing on at least one processor the steps of:
establishing and storing game details, including one or more of: a list of acceptable words, a count of draw-able consonants and a count of draw-able vowels, a number of words to be provided on a ticket, a length of each of the number of words to be provided on a ticket; processing the stored game details to identify potential tickets for generation, wherein each potential ticket for generation comprises at least a group of words; producing a group of acceptable wagers and a group of represented letter combinations based on the group of words of the potential tickets, including a first acceptable wager comprising a first group of words and a first represented letter combination corresponding to the first group of words, wherein, for each additional potential ticket identified for generation, comparing at least the letter combination corresponding to the group of words associated with the potential ticket against at least the first represented letter combination, and storing the additional potential ticket identified for generation as an additional acceptable wager if the letter combination corresponding to the group of words for the additional potential ticket is not the same as, or is within an allowable number of duplicates of, the first represented letter combination.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the stored game details are processed to generate a group of acceptable wagers for a word-based wagering game prior to a wager being placed.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the stored game details are processed to generate an individual acceptable wager for a word-based wagering game as a wager is placed.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of processing the stored game details includes checking that acceptable words on a potential ticket require appropriate numbers of vowels and consonants.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of processing the stored game details includes removing potential tickets having an undesirable odds profile.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first acceptable wager and any additional acceptable wager is stored in the at least one computer storage device.

14 . The method of claim 8 , including the step of printing a set of game tickets comprising at least a first ticket with the first group of words associated with the first acceptable wager printed thereon, and at least one additional ticket with a group of words associated with an additional acceptable wager printed thereon.

15 . A system, comprising:
a remote central host comprising at least one processor and memory storing instructions operable by the at least one processor to: process stored game details to identify potential game tickets for generation, wherein each potential ticket for generation comprises at least a group of words; produce a group of acceptable wagers and a group of represented letter combinations based on the group of words of the potential tickets, including a first acceptable wager comprising a first group of words and a first represented letter combination corresponding to the first group of words, including, for each additional potential ticket identified for generation, comparing at least the letter combination corresponding to the group of words associated with the potential ticket against at least the first represented letter combination, and storing the additional potential ticket identified for generation as an additional acceptable wager if the letter combination corresponding to the group of words for the additional potential ticket is not the same as, or is within an allowable number of duplicates of, the first represented letter combination; and at least one device communicatively coupled to the remote central host, with the at least one device having a wager input component and a ticket output component, wherein the wager input component receives a request for an acceptable wager and the ticket output component produces a ticket corresponding to one of: the first acceptable wager and an additional acceptable wager.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the game tickets pertain to a game involving matching randomly selected letters to pre-printed words on the ticket to determine if all of the letters of any of the pre-printed words match the randomly selected letters.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the stored game details include one or more of: a list of acceptable words, a count of draw-able consonants and a count of draw-able vowels, a number of words to be provided on a ticket, a length of each of the number of words to be provided on a ticket.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the stored game details are processed to generate a group of acceptable wagers for a word-based wagering game prior to a wager being placed.

Assignees

• Igt Global Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Koll Aaron Michael
• Simpkins Sarah W
• Heathcote Bradford

Classifications

• G07F17/3295

  Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking · CPC title

• G07F17/3244 Primary

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title

• G07F17/3286

  Type of games · CPC title