Providing centralized services to game operators

Abstract

Some example embodiments of the present invention address growing demand by lottery customers for expanded gaming options and new gaming concepts. Example embodiments may include methods and systems for providing a shared centralized gaming host which implements software as a service concepts for lottery and other wagering games.

1 . A system for providing services to a plurality of lottery operators each associated with one of a plurality of jurisdictions, comprising:
 a shared lottery host accessible to a plurality of lottery game terminals in each of the plurality of jurisdictions;   a game archive accessible to the shared lottery host storing software code configured to operate a plurality of wagering games selectively activatable by the plurality of lottery operators, the shared lottery host configured to communicate with the plurality of terminals to enable the terminals in a particular jurisdiction to allow the sale of tickets for the games which have been selectively activated by the lottery operator for that jurisdiction; and   an activation engine in communication with the shared lottery host, the activation engine configured to receive instructions from a lottery operator from the plurality of lottery operators to activate one of wagering games stored in the game archive.   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a game operator host in one of the plurality of jurisdictions;   a plurality of point of access devices in the one of the plurality of jurisdictions.   
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a local game provided by the game operator host; and   a router configured to route communications from the plurality of point of access devices concerning the local game to the game operator host and configured to route communications from the plurality of point of access devices concerning the games provided by the shared host to the shared host.   
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein:
 communications between the shared host and the point of access devices are routed through the game operator host.   
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a normalization engine in communication with the shared lottery host and a back office system of a lottery operator in the plurality of lottery operators, the normalization engine configured to convert data communicated between the back office system and the shared lottery host from a legacy format specific to the lottery operator to a shared standard format used by the shared lottery host.   
   
   
       6 . A system for providing services to a plurality of lottery operators, comprising:
 a shared lottery host including at least one computer system, the shared lottery host accessible to a plurality of lottery agent terminals and lottery customer clients in a plurality of jurisdictions;   a game archive accessible to the shared lottery host, the game archive storing software code for operating a plurality of wagering games selectively activatable by the plurality of lottery operators;   an activation engine accessible to the plurality of lottery operators, the engine configured to allow the plurality of lottery operators to selectively activate the wagering games;   a customization engine accessible to the plurality of lottery operators, the customization engine configured to allow the plurality of lottery operators to alter attributes of the wagering games;   a network providing connectivity between the plurality of lottery agent terminals and lottery customer clients and the shared lottery host, the lottery customer clients including at least one of a mobile phone, a personal computer, and an interactive television device;   a database accessible to the shared lottery host storing wagers placed at the plurality of lottery agent terminals and lottery customer clients;   a charging engine configured to receive information regarding wagering game usage by the plurality of lottery operators and to determine charging fees for the lottery operators based at least in part on the received information;   a lottery level financials reporting system configured to report sales information to the plurality of lottery operators for their respective activated games;   an agent-level financials reporting system, configured to report sales, invoices, and commissions to lottery agents for the games activated in a particular jurisdiction; and   a lottery game results reporting system configured to report the outcomes of wagering games to the game operators.   
   
   
       7 . A method for providing services to wagering game operators, comprising:
 providing a shared host in communication with a plurality of game operators;   providing a shared library of wagering games accessible to the shared host, and available for selective activation by the plurality of game operators;   receiving a request from a game operator from the plurality of game operators to activate a game;   responsive to the request, activating the game for the game operator on the shared host; and   charging the game operator based at least in part on the amount of usage that is made of the game by customers of the game operator.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 receiving software modules for a new game from a content developer;   storing the software modules in the shared library;   receiving a request, at the shared host, from the game operator to activate the new game;   responsive to the request, activating the new game, on the shared host, for the game operator; and   paying a portion of the revenue received from the game operator for the new game to the content developer.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the content developer is one of the plurality of game operators. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 distributing software modules from the shared library which are associated with the game to point of access devices operated by the game operator.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the game operator has a game operator host, the method further comprising:
 passing communications relating to operation of the game between the shared host and a plurality of point of access devices through a game operator host.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the game operator has a game operator host providing a second game not provided by the shared host, further comprising:
 routing communications, related to the game, from a plurality of point of access devices to the shared host; and   routing communications, related to the second game, from the plurality of point of access devices to the game operator host.   
   
   
       13 . A system comprising:
 a game repository storing software code for a plurality of wagering games accessible to a plurality of game operators, the wagering games being selectively activatable by the plurality of game operators and having a plurality of tunable parameters; and   a game customization engine configured to allow a game operator from the plurality of game operators to select values for the tunable game parameters when a wagering game from the plurality of wagering games is activated by the game operator.   
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a content server configured to distribute the software code for an activated wagering game which has been customized by the game operator to the game operator's point of access devices.   
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the tunable parameters include at least one of a wagering game payout percentage, a wagering game name, a wagering game operator name, and a legal notice. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the game customization engine is further configured with default parameter settings for each game operator from the plurality of game operators which are automatically applied to wagering games activated by that game operator. 
   
   
       17 . A system, comprising:
 a game repository accessible to a plurality of wagering game operators, the game repository configured to allow the wagering game operators to select games from the game repository to offer to their respective customers;   a game repository deposit system configured to allow the entry of new games in the game repository;   a game adoption system configured to allow the wagering game operators to adopt the games in the game repository; and   an accounting system configured to determine the amount charged to the game operators based at least in part on adoption of the games in the game repository by the game operators.   
   
   
       18 . The system of  17 , wherein:
 the accounting system is further configured to determine an amount due to content developers for games deposited in the game repository based at least in part on adoption of the game by the game operators.   
   
   
       19 . The system of  17 , wherein the amount charged to the game operators for a particular game is based at least in part on an amount of usage made by the game operator's player customers of the particular game. 
   
   
       20 . A system, comprising:
 a game repository accessible to a plurality of lottery game operators, the game repository configured to allow the lottery game operators to select lottery games from the game repository to offer to their respective customers;   a game repository deposit system configured to allow the entry of new games in the game repository by content developers;   a game adoption system configured to allow the lottery game operators to adopt the games in the game repository; and   an accounting system configured to determine an amount due to game depositors, for games deposited in the game repository, based at least in part on an amount of use made of the games by the lottery game operators' player customers for games the lottery game operators have adopted from the games in the game repository, the accounting system further configured to determine an amount due to content developers, for the games deposited in the game repository, based at least in part on adoption, by the lottery game operators, of the games deposited in the game repository, and further configured to determine an amount charged to the lottery game operators for a particular game, based at least in part on an amount of usage made by the lottery game operators' player customers of the particular game.   
   
   
       21 . A method for providing wagering games to wagering game operators, comprising:
 receiving deposits in a game repository from game depositors of game software modules for a plurality of games;   providing the wagering game operators access to the game software modules in the game repository;   collecting fees from the game operators based on their player customers' use of the games in the game repository and recording the fees in an accounting system; and   issuing a payment to the game depositors, using the accounting system, based on a pre-arranged portion of the fees from the game operators for the use of games deposited by the game depositors.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the fees collected from the game operators are based on at least one of a number of times a game is played, the number of players who play the game, an amount of revenue received by a game operator, and an amount of profit earned by the game operator for the game. 
   
   
       23 . A player customer relationship management system for a plurality of wagering game operators, comprising:
 a customer relationship management server, configured to communicated with a plurality of wagering game operator servers, each associated with a wagering game operator from the plurality of wagering game operators; wherein   the customer relationship management server is configured to receive from each of the wagering game operator servers information regarding player customers collected by the wagering game operator servers; and   the customer relationship management server is configured to aggregate the information into a common wageror database containing information received from each of the wagering game operator servers.   
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 a plurality of games from third party content providers selectively accessible by the plurality of wagering game operators; and   an interface configured to provide information to a third party content provider associated with a game from the plurality of games regarding player customers associated with at least two of the wagering game operators who have played the game.   
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the interface is configured to provide aggregated information to the third party content provider while preventing access to information related to individual player customers. 
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the information regarding player customers in the common wageror database does not identify individual player customers. 
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 23 , where the wagering game operators are governmental lotteries in different respective jurisdictions operating independently of each other. 
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the player customers are permitted to access information related to themselves in the common wageror database. 
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the information related to a player customer includes a player account with a monetary balance that can be accessed to play games provided by the plurality of wagering game operators. 
   
   
       30 . A retailer management system for wagering games, comprising:
 a plurality of wagering games offered by a plurality of wagering game operators through a plurality of retailers which are associated with a retailer organization; and   a host in communication with the plurality of wagering game operators and the plurality of retailers, the host configured to receive information regarding wager sales made by the plurality of retailers for the plurality of wagering games and to report aggregated sales data for the plurality of wagering games made at the plurality of retailers to the retailer organization.   
   
   
       31 . The system of  30 , wherein the wagering games are provided from the host to the plurality of wagering game operators, at least a subset of the wagering games are operated by more than one of the wagering game operators, and the host is configured to aggregate the sales data for the retailers of the retailer organization from multiple wagering game operators. 
   
   
       32 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein a plurality of pluralities of retailers are operated by a respective plurality of retailer organizations, and wherein the host is configured to report aggregated sales data for the plurality of wagering games to each retailer organization for their respective retailers. 
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the wagering games used by multiple wagering game operators are customized by each wagering game operator. 
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein software code for operating the wagering games by the plurality of wagering game operators is provided on the host. 
   
   
       35 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the host is a single centralized computer system. 
   
   
       36 . An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions executable by a processor, the instructions configured to cause the performance of the method of  7 .