Fantasy sports league application and associated methods

Abstract

A fantasy sports league application is operated on a computerized device for managing a bet relating to statistics of a sporting event. The statistics may relate to a team, position, play, or player. The terms of the bet may be defined relating to a bet amount, bet type, scoring procedure, and/or duration. The bet may be created by a creator using an interface. A user may view and accept the bet, and may also make a counteroffer. Users may create and join leagues and private groups, and may filter the universe of potential respondents to a created bet using a wish-list of bet conditions and/or terms. The bet may be confirmed when the creator and the user agree on terms. Funds relating to the bet may be collected and dispersed.

That which is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for using a fantasy betting application to manage an online sports wagering community for a plurality of bettors including a first bettor and a second bettor, wherein the fantasy betting application comprises rules executable by a rules engine and stored in a database included in a computerized device having a processor and memory and connected to a network, the method comprising:
 storing, using the database, a plurality of user profiles each characterized by a respective bettor ranking and each associated with a respective one of the plurality of bettors;   creating for the first bettor, using a first interface on a first device connected to the network, a skill-based bet to define a created bet by
 receiving conditions of the skill-based bet including a bet duration and a plurality of selected leagues, 
 receiving terms of the skill-based bet including a bet amount and a bet subject relating to a sporting event and comprising at least one of a team, a position, a play, and a player, and 
 receiving limitations of a skill-based counteroffer, wherein the limitations of the skill-based counteroffer include a range of allowable values corresponding to the terms of the skill-based bet and a wish-list characterized by a first subset of the conditions of the skill-based bet and the terms of the skill-based bet; 
   analyzing the created bet for compliance with the rules stored in the database, wherein the rules are characterized by respective league rules for each of the plurality of selected leagues including respective allowance criteria for a bet value, a bet type, and a scoring procedure,
 wherein the bet value for one of the plurality of selected leagues, defined as an accessed league, defines criteria for valuation of winning a simulation sports game, 
 wherein the bet type for the accessed league defines criteria for determination of a winner of the simulation sports game, and 
 wherein the scoring procedure for the accessed league defines a measurement of statistics of the sporting event using the criteria for determining the winner of the simulation sports game; 
   selectively posting the created bet to define a posted bet by
 displaying for the second bettor, upon determination that the created bet is compliant with the rules and that the bettor ranking associated with the second bettor matches a membership restriction of the accessed league, the terms of the created bet using a second interface on a second device connected to the network, and 
 displaying for the first bettor, upon determination that the created bet is non-compliant with the rules, a first alert using the first interface on the first device connected to the network; 
   creating for the second bettor, using the second interface on the second device connected to the network, the skill-based counteroffer to define a created counteroffer by
 receiving a question related to the created bet and receiving a respective response related to the question, 
 receiving conditions of the skill-based counteroffer including a counteroffer duration, and 
 receiving terms of the skill-based counteroffer, wherein the terms of the skill-based counteroffer are selected from the limitations of the skill-based counteroffer, and include a counteroffer amount and a counteroffer subject relating to the sporting event and comprising at least one of a team, a position, a play, and a player; 
   analyzing the created counteroffer for compliance with the rules stored in the database;   selectively posting the created counteroffer to define a posted counteroffer by
 displaying for the first bettor, upon determination that the created counteroffer is compliant with the rules and that a second subset of the conditions of the created counteroffer and of the terms of the created counteroffer matches the wish-list, the terms of the created counteroffer using the first interface on the first device connected to the network, and 
 displaying for the second bettor, upon determination that the created counteroffer is non-compliant with the rules, a second alert using the second interface on the second device connected to the network; 
   initiating the simulation sports game to define a confirmed bet by
 receiving acceptance of one of the posted bet and the posted counteroffer; 
   determining the first bettor to be the winner of the simulation sports game based in part on the bet type and the scoring procedure;   assigning winning weighted points and losing weighted points to the confirmed bet relating to the terms of the confirmed bet and to the bet value for the accessed league;   adding the winning weighted points to the bettor ranking associated with the first bettor; and   adding the losing weighted points to the bettor ranking associated with the second bettor.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein each of the plurality of leagues is definable to include members selected from the plurality of bettors, and wherein the respective league rules of each of the plurality of selected leagues are configurable to include membership restrictions relating to the user profiles of the respective members of each of the plurality of selected leagues. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2  further comprising comparing the user profile of one of the plurality of bettors, defined as an entering bettor, with the respective membership restrictions of each of the plurality of selected leagues to determine eligibility of the entering bettor for admission into each of the plurality of selected leagues. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein a visible bettor is included in the plurality of bettors; wherein a community interface is included to selectively share the user profile associated with the visible bettor with additional bettors in the plurality of bettors; wherein at least part of the user profile of the visible bettor is selectable between being privately held and publicly shared; and wherein the user profile that is publicly shared is comparable by each bettor with at least one other bettor in the plurality of bettors. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising the step of comparing the bettor rankings of every possible pair of the plurality of bettors to determine an overall ranking of the first bettor and the second bettor among the plurality of bettors. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the statistics of the sporting event are included on a network connected device to be accessed by the fantasy betting application. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising selectively defining an expiration of the created bet. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising accepting funds for the confirmed bet, holding the funds until the winner of the simulated sports game is determined, and dispersing at least part of the funds to the winner of the simulated sports game after the winner is determined; wherein the funds to be collected are defined by the terms of the confirmed bet; and wherein disbursement of the funds to the winner is defined by the conditions of the confirmed bet. 
     
     
         9 . A method for using a fantasy betting application to manage an online sports wagering community for a plurality of bettors including a first bettor and a second bettor, wherein the fantasy betting application comprises rules executable by a rules engine and stored in a database included in a computerized device with a processor and memory, the method comprising:
 storing, using the database, a plurality of user profiles each characterized by a respective bettor ranking and each associated with a respective one of the plurality of bettors;   creating a skill-based bet, the skill-based bet being created by the first bettor to define a created bet, by
 receiving conditions of the skill-based bet, 
 receiving terms of the skill-based bet, and 
 receiving limitations of a skill-based counteroffer, wherein the limitations include a range of allowable values corresponding to the terms of the skill-based bet and a wish-list characterized by a first subset of the conditions of the skill-based bet and the terms of the skill-based bet; 
   analyzing the created bet for compliance with the rules stored in the database, wherein the rules are characterized by respective league rules for each of a plurality of selected leagues including respective allowance criteria for a bet value, a bet type, a bet expiration, and a scoring procedure,
 wherein the bet value for one of the plurality of selected leagues, defined as an accessed league, defines criteria for valuation of winning a simulation sports game, 
 wherein the bet type for the accessed league defines criteria for determination of a winner of the simulation sports game, 
 wherein the bet expiration for the accessed league defines criteria for fixing an end date of the simulation sports game, and 
 wherein the scoring procedure for the accessed league defines a measurement of statistics of a sporting event using the criteria for determining the winner of the simulation sports game; 
   posting the created bet to the database, wherein the created bet is viewable by the second bettor using a first interface upon determination that the created bet is compliant with the rules and that the bettor ranking associated with the second bettor matches a membership restriction of the accessed league;   creating the skill-based counteroffer, the skill-based counteroffer created by the second bettor to define a created counteroffer, by
 receiving from the second better a question related to the created bet and receiving from the first bettor a respective response related to the question, 
 receiving conditions of the skill-based counteroffer, and 
 receiving terms of the skill-based counteroffer, wherein the terms of the skill-based counteroffer are selected from the limitations of the skill-based counteroffer; 
   analyzing the created counteroffer for compliance with the rules stored in the database;   posting the created counteroffer to the database upon determination that the created counteroffer is compliant with the rules and that a second subset of the conditions of the created counteroffer and of the terms of the created counteroffer matches the wish-list, the terms of the created counteroffer using the first interface on the first device connected to the network, wherein the created counteroffer is viewable by the first bettor using a second interface;   initiating the simulation sports game to define a confirmed bet by
 receiving one of acceptance by the second bettor of the posted bet and acceptance by the first bettor of the posted counteroffer; 
 accepting funds for the confirmed bet; determining the first bettor to be the winner of the simulation sports game based in part on the bet type, the bet expiration, and the scoring procedure; 
 assigning winning weighted points and losing weighted points to the confirmed bet relating to the terms of the confirmed bet and to the bet value for the accessed league; 
 adding the winning weighted points to the bettor ranking associated with the first bettor; 
 adding the losing weighted points to the bettor ranking associated with the second bettor; and 
 dispersing at least part of the funds to the first bettor; 
 wherein the funds to be collected are defined by the terms of the confirmed bet; 
 wherein disbursement of the funds to the first bettor is defined by the conditions of the confirmed bet; and 
 wherein a fee is collectible from the funds prior to dispersing remaining the funds to the first bettor; 
   wherein a community interface is included to selectively display user data associated with the plurality of user profiles and to provide intercommunication among the plurality of bettors;   wherein at least part of the user data is selectable between being privately held and publicly shared; and   wherein the user data that is publicly shared is comparable by at least one pair of the plurality of bettors.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9  wherein each of the plurality of leagues is definable to include members selected from the plurality of bettors; and wherein the respective league rules of each of the plurality of selected leagues are configurable to include membership restrictions relating to the user profiles of each of the members. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10  further comprising comparing the user profile with the respective membership restrictions of each of the plurality of selected leagues to determine eligibility for admission into each of the plurality of selected leagues. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 9  further comprising the step of
 comparing the bettor rankings of any possible pair of the plurality of bettors to determine an overall ranking of the first bettor and the second bettor among the plurality of bettors. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 9  further comprising the first bettor selectively allowing the created bet to be split and the second bettor selectively requesting the created bet to be split; wherein splitting the created bet is defined as allowing parts of the created bet to be independently confirmable. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 9  wherein the statistics of the sporting event are included on a network connected device to be accessed by the fantasy betting application. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 9  further comprising selectively defining at least one of the plurality of selected leagues for placing the created bet, an expiration of the created bet, a duration of the created bet, and odds relating to the created bet. 
     
     
         16 . A fantasy betting application comprising:
 a database to include data comprising a plurality of user profiles each characterized by a respective bettor ranking and each associated with a respective one of a plurality of bettors including a first bettor and a second bettor, the database being stored in a computerized device including a processor and memory;   an interface to be manipulated by the first bettor or the second bettor;   a rules engine to execute rules configured to manage an online sports wagering community for the plurality of bettors, wherein the rules are stored in the database and are characterized by respective league rules for each of a plurality of selected leagues including respective allowance criteria for a bet value, a bet type, and a scoring procedure, wherein the bet value for one of the plurality of selected leagues, defined as an accessed league, defines criteria for valuation of winning a simulation sports game, wherein the bet type for the accessed league defines criteria for determining a winner of the simulation sports game based on winner performance, and wherein the scoring procedure for the accessed league defines a measurement of statistics of a sporting event using the criteria for determining the winner of the simulation sports game;   wherein the database is accessible over a network;   wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions to control the simulation sports game by
 electronically processing creation of a skill-based bet by the first bettor to define a created bet that comprises conditions of the skill-based bet wherein the conditions include the plurality of selected leagues, terms of the skill-based bet, and limitations of a skill-based counteroffer wherein the limitations include a range of allowable values corresponding to the terms of the skill-based bet and a wish-list characterized by a first subset of the conditions of the skill-based bet and the terms of the skill-based bet; 
 electronically analyzing the created bet for compliance with the rules stored in the database, wherein the rules are characterized by the respective league rules for each of the plurality of selected leagues; 
 upon determination that the created bet is compliant with the rules and that the bettor ranking associated with the second bettor matches a membership restriction of the accessed league, electronically processing posting of the created bet to be receivable and viewable by the second bettor using the interface; 
 electronically processing creation of the skill-based counteroffer by the second bettor to define a created counteroffer that comprises conditions of the skill-based counteroffer, and selectively negotiated terms of the skill-based counteroffer received as at least one response from the first bettor to at least one question by the second bettor and selected from the range of allowable values corresponding to the limitations of the skill-based counteroffer and matched to the wish-list corresponding to the limitations of the skill-based counteroffer; 
 electronically analyzing the created counteroffer for compliance with the rules stored in the database; and 
 electronically processing initiation of the simulation sports game to define a confirmed bet that comprises one of acceptance by the second bettor of the posted bet and acceptance by the first bettor of the posted counteroffer; 
 determining the first bettor to be the winner of the simulation sports game based in part on the bet type and the scoring procedure; 
 assigning winning weighted points and losing weighted points to the confirmed bet relating to the terms of the confirmed bet and to the bet value for the accessed league; 
 adding the winning weighted points to the bettor ranking associated with the first bettor; and 
 adding the losing weighted points to the bettor ranking associated with the second bettor. 
   
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 16  wherein each of the plurality of leagues is definable to include members selected from the plurality of bettors; and wherein the respective league rules of each of the plurality of selected leagues are configurable to include membership restrictions relating to the user profiles of the respective members of each of the plurality of selected leagues. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 16  wherein a visible bettor is included in the plurality of bettors; wherein a community interface is included to selectively share the user profile associated with the visible bettor with additional bettors in the plurality of bettors; wherein at least part of the user profile of the visible bettor is selectable between being privately held and publicly shared; and wherein the user profile that is publicly shared is comparable by each bettor with at least one other bettor in the plurality of bettors. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 16  further comprising a performance based ranking system configured to compare the bettor rankings of any possible pair of the plurality of bettors to determine an overall ranking of the first bettor and the second bettor among the plurality of bettors. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 16  wherein funds are accepted for the confirmed bet; wherein the funds are held until the winner of the confirmed bet is determined; and wherein the funds to be collected are defined by the terms of the confirmed bet.