Systems and methods for providing gaming activities

Abstract

Described herein are various systems and methods for providing gaming activities. These particularly relate to “fixed-odds” type gaming activities whereby a player places a bet in relation to an event outcome on the basis of a payout ratio and, in the case that the event outcome is identified as a winning outcome, the player is awarded a prize based on the entry fee and the payout ratio. In overview, the present embodiments focus on situations wherein the player is additionally eligible to receive a secondary prize that is indeterminate at the point in time the bet is placed. The nature and purpose of this secondary prize varies between embodiments. For example, in some embodiments the secondary prize effectively provides a winning player with a more advantageous payout ratio, in some embodiments the secondary prize allows the player to participate in a secondary game.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for providing a gaming activity wherein a plurality of players provide respective entry fees, each entry fee being provided in relation to a selected event outcome having a defined payout ratio whereby, in the case that for a given player the selected event outcome is identified as a winning outcome on the basis of the occurrence of a physically manifested event, that player is allocated a primary prize based on the entry fee and the payout ratio defined for the selected event outcome, the method including the steps of:
 receiving, for each player, entry data indicative of at least an entry fee and a selected event outcome;   determining, for each player, a notional supplementary contribution amount attributable to a supplementary prize pool;   receiving outcome data indicative of one or more winning outcomes;   identifying one or more of the players who selected winning outcomes;   determining a prize amount for each identified player, the prize amount including, for a given one of the identified players, a value corresponding to the payout ratio for the selected event outcome applied to the sum of the entry fee and supplementary contribution amount for that player.   
     
     
         2 . A computer-implemented method for providing a gaming activity wherein a plurality of players provide respective entry fees that define the players' respective maximum monetary liabilities in respect of the gaming activity, each entry fee being provided in relation to a selected event outcome having a defined payout ratio whereby, in the case that for a given player the selected event outcome is identified as a winning outcome on the basis of the occurrence of a physically manifested event, that player is allocated a primary prize based on the entry fee and the payout ratio defined for the selected event outcome, the method including the steps of:
 receiving, for each player, entry data indicative of at least an entry fee and a selected event outcome;   determining, for each player, a supplementary contribution amount attributable to a supplementary prize pool;   identifying one or more of the players as candidates for supplementary prize allocation;   defining an allocation portion of the supplementary prize pool including a value related to the sum of the respective supplementary contribution amounts of the identified one or more players; and   allocating, on the basis of an allocation protocol, to at least one of the identified one or more players a supplementary prize from the allocation portion of the supplementary prize pool.   
     
     
         3 . A computer-implemented method for providing a gaming activity wherein a plurality of players provide respective entry fees, each entry fee being provided in relation to a selected event outcome having a defined payout ratio whereby, in the case that for a given player the selected event outcome is identified as a winning outcome on the basis of the occurrence of a physically manifested event, that player is allocated a primary prize based on the entry fee and the payout ratio defined for the selected event outcome, the method including the steps of:
 receiving, for each player, entry data indicative of at least an entry fee and a selected event outcome;   determining, for each player, a supplementary contribution amount attributable to a supplementary prize pool, wherein the supplementary contribution amount for a given player includes a value corresponding to one or more of the following:   an entry fee supplementary contribution amount, whereby a proportion of the entry fee defines at least a component of the supplementary contribution amount;   a net investment return, whereby a net investment return derived from subjecting at least a portion of the entry fee of that player to an investment procedure for a period of time defines at least a component of the supplementary contribution amount;   a net distribution marketing amount, whereby a third party provides a gaming operator with a gross distribution marketing amount in consideration for marketing information being provided to the player, and a value corresponding to a net distribution marketing amount provides at least a component of the supplementary contribution amount;   a net collection marketing amount, whereby a third party provides a gaming operator with a gross collection marketing amount in consideration for marketing information being collected from the player, and a value corresponding to a net collection marketing amount provides at least a component of the supplementary contribution amount;   an operator contribution, whereby a gaming operator recognises a benefit derived from a particular player's entry, and a net amount corresponding to this recognised benefit provides at least a component of the supplementary contribution amount; and   a net third party contribution amount, whereby a third party provides at least a component of supplementary contribution amount;   identifying one or more of the players as candidates for supplementary prize allocation;   defining an allocation portion of the supplementary prize pool including a value related to the sum of the respective supplementary contribution amounts of the identified one or more players; and   allocating, on the basis of an allocation protocol, to at least one of the identified one or more players a supplementary prize from the allocation portion of the supplementary prize pool.   
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein the allocation protocol includes a chance-based allocation protocol. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 4 , wherein the allocation protocol includes a chance-based allocation protocol.