Method and system for facilitating inter-player wagering in conjunction with a base game

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating a multi-player and inter-player competitive wagering game in conjunction with a base game, such as a traditional wagering game such as Keno or other online lottery games. A group of players may all participate in the traditional wager game as a group, and the player in the group who has the best result in the base game may be awarded all or part of the total group winnings from the base lottery game.

1 . A method of facilitating a multi-player wagering game run together with a base wagering game, comprising:
 receiving entries for the base wagering game from a group of players;   receiving an indication that the group of players also wish to participate in the multi-player wagering game;   determining at least one separate outcome of the base wagering game for each of the players in the group based at least in part on the received entries   providing information to the group of players that will allow the players to determine the outcome of the base wagering game; and   awarding at least a share of each player in the group's prize in the base wagering game to one of the players in the group based on predetermined rules that compare the outcomes for the players' entries in the base wagering game.   
   
   
       2 . A method of facilitating an inter-player wagering game run together with a base single player wagering game, comprising:
 receiving entries from a group of players who will enter the game as a group;   determining separate outcomes for each player in the group for each of the plays of the base wagering game;   determining a prize associated with each separate outcome of the base wagering game; and   awarding a final prize to one of the players in the group, who is selected based on a comparison of the separate outcomes the players in the group obtained for each of the plays of the base wagering game, wherein the final prize is based at least in part on the prizes that would have been awarded to the individual players in the group had they entered the base single player wagering game with the same entries.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the player who has greatest sum of the separate outcomes of the plays of the base game compared with the other players in the group receives the entire final prize. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each winning player receives a portion of the final prize, based at least in part on the number of winning players. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein one winning player is awarded the entire final prize based on a criteria that is not the sum of outcomes associated with each player. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , the other criteria may include the sum of prizes associated with each player. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 receiving an indication of an amount to be wagered by each player.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each player is required to wager the same amount. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the amount to be wagered is the amount wagered per game. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 receiving an indication of a quantity of games, wherein the quantity of games is based on the indication of the quantity of games.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 receiving a selection by each player, wherein the outcome associated with each player per game is based at least in part on the selection made by each player.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 receiving a quantity of player selected numbers from a plurality of numbers for each of the players.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein player selected quantity is less than the plurality. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 selecting a quantity of winning numbers from the plurality, where the outcome associated with each player for each game depends on the quantity of player selected numbers that match a number within the quantity of winning numbers.   
   
   
       15 . A method of facilitating a shared play Keno game run together with a base Keno game; comprising:
 receiving an entry from a group of players who wish to enter the game together;   receiving pick numbers for each of the players in the group for the base Keno game;   providing each of the players in the group with a ticket showing their pick numbers;   recording information that associates the tickets for the players in the group;   randomly determining draw numbers for the base Keno game;   determining the quantity of draw numbers matched by the pick numbers for each player in the group;   determining the base Keno game prize award for each player in the group; and   awarding the base Keno game prize awards for all the players in the group to one of the players in the group who had the best result according to predetermined shared play game rules.   
   
   
       16 . A computer readable medium having stored there on a set of computer-readable instructions configured, when executed by a processor, to cause the processor to control the performance of the method of  claim 1 . 
   
   
       17 . A system for facilitating the play of a multiplayer wagering game run in conjunction with a single player wagering game, comprising:
 an input device configured to receive entries in the single player wagering game and group entries in the multiplayer wagering game;   an entry module configured record and process entries for single players in the single player wagering game and to record and process group entries in the wagering game;   a random result generator configured to determine game results shared by the single player wagering game and the multiplayer wagering game;   a single player game outcome determining module configured to determine prizes awarded to individual players who have entered the single player wagering game based on the players' entries and the game results; and   a multiple player game outcome determining module configured to determine the game outcome for the individual players in the group, and to award a prize to a winning player in the group by comparing the game outcomes for the individual players in the group to each other.   
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the prize awarded to the winning player in the group is the sum of the prizes that would have been awarded to the individual players in the group if they had made the same entry in the single player wagering game. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the winning player in the group is the player who has the best game outcome according to the rules of the single player wagering game. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a game receipt issuing device configured to issue a receipt to entrants in the single player wagering game and also to issue a receipt to each player in the group for the multiplayer wagering game.   
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the single player wagering game is an online numbers draw game, and the single player game entries are matched against randomly drawn numbers, and where group entries in the multiplayer wagering game include a separate set of numbers for each player, which are b matched against the randomly drawn numbers. 
   
   
       22 . A multiplayer drawing game run in conjunction with a single player drawing game, comprising:
 a game server;   an input device configured to receive player entries in the single player drawing game, wherein entries include a spot number, a number of drawings entered, a bet amount, and a quantity of number selections equal to the spot number, the configured to receive player entries in the multiplayer drawing game, multiplayer entries received from a group of players including a spot number, a quantity of drawings entered, a bet amount, and a quantity of number selections from each player in the group equal to the spot number, the input device configured to communicate the entry information to the server;   an output device configured to issue receipts to the single player and to each individual player in the group, the receipts each including the respective player's respective entry information and a unique ticket identification number received from the server;   a display device configured to display game drawing results to players;   a ticket redemption device configured to receive tickets for redemption and to read the unique ticket identification number from the tendered tickets and communicate the ticket identification number to the server, and responsive to receipt of an authorization from the server to indicate that the tickets should be redeemed for a prize; wherein the server is in communication with the input device, the output device, and the ticket redemption device, the server configured to receive the entry information from the input device, the server configured to receive from the input device and record the single and multiplayer entries, and to provide to the output device the unique ticket identification number for each ticket, the server also configured to store information associating the unique ticket identification numbers of the tickets issued to the players in a group.   
   
   
       23 . A system for facilitating the play of a multiplayer wagering game run in conjunction with a single player wagering game, comprising:
 an input means for receiving individual entries in the single player wagering game and for receiving entries by a group in the multiplayer wagering game;   a random result means for determining random results for the single player wagering game that are also shared by the multiplayer wagering game;   a single player outcome determining means for determining prizes awarded to single players entering the single player wagering games based on the individual players' entries and the random result;   a multiplayer wagering game outcome determining means for determining the prize awarded to a winning player in the group, the winning player in the group being selected by comparing the single player game outcomes for each player in the group and determining which player in the best result in the group, and the prize being based at a least in part on the sum of the prizes that would have been awarded to each of the players in the group had they made the same entry in the single player wagering game.   
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the multiplayer outcome determining means is configured to select the winning entry in the group by choosing the player who would have won the largest prize in the one or more plays of the single player lottery game. 
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the winning player in the group's prize is the sum of all the prizes that would have been awarded to each of the player's in the group in the single player wagering game. 
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the single player wagering game is an online numbers draw game, and where the single player game entries to be matched against randomly drawn numbers generated by the random result means, and wherein group entries in the multiplayer wagering game include a separate set of numbers for each player to be matched against the randomly drawn numbers.