Systems and methods for providing gaming activities

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing gaming activities, these particularly relating to gaming activities where a plurality of players provide respective entry fees. Traditional gaming activities necessarily involve the player putting his or her entry fee at risk. The subject disclosure, at least in some of its preferred forms, modifies the traditional approaches of operating such gaming activities so that the player's entry fee is not necessarily placed entirely at risk. Indeed, in some embodiments a player is provided with an option to participate on the basis that his or her entry fee is wholly refundable while retaining the opportunity to win prizes, potentially alongside more risky though still modified participation by other players.

1 . A method, performed at a mobile device, for providing a first player with access to a gaming activity wherein a plurality of players provide respective entry fees, the method including the steps of:
 displaying, on a screen of a computing device, an interface that is configured to:   enable the user select a value of entries for purchase based on a first risk profile risk profiles for which 100% of the entry fee is refundable and 0% of the entry fee is placed at risk; and   enable the user select a value of entries for purchase based on a second risk profile risk profiles for which 0% of the entry fee is refundable and 100% of the entry fee is placed at risk; and   receiving, from the first player, data indicative of the selected value of entries based on the first risk profile and data indicative of the selected value of entries based on the second risk profile;   providing a signal to a server device thereby to effect allocation to the first player of the selected value of entries based on the first risk profile and the selected value of entries based on the second risk profile.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the selected value of entries based on the first risk profile and the selected value of entries based on the second risk profile are entries in a common game of chance. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2  wherein X entries are allocated to the player for each $A value of entries based on the first risk profile, and wherein Y entries are allocated to the player for each $A value of entries based on the second risk profile, wherein X<Y. 
     
     
         4 . A method, performed at a server device, for providing players with access to a gaming activity wherein a plurality of players provide respective entry fees, the method including the steps of:
 maintaining communication with a plurality of mobile devices, wherein each mobile device is configured to provide an interface that is configured to:   enable the user select a value of entries for purchase based on a first risk profile risk profiles for which 100% of the entry fee is refundable and 0% of the entry fee is placed at risk;   enable the user select a value of entries for purchase based on a second risk profile risk profiles for which 0% of the entry fee is refundable and 100% of the entry fee is placed at risk; and   receive, from each mobile device operated by a respective player, data indicative of the selected value of entries based on the first risk profile and data indicative of the selected value of entries based on the second risk profile;   allocating, to each player, the selected value of entries based on the first risk profile and the selected value of entries based on the second risk profile.   
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 4  wherein the selected value of entries based on the first risk profile and the selected value of entries based on the second risk profile are entries in a common game of chance. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 4  wherein X entries are allocated to each player for each $A value of entries based on the first risk profile, and wherein Y entries are allocated to each player for each $A value of entries based on the second risk profile, wherein X<Y.