A ticketing server for the conduct of an electronically-facilitated event-based sports pool in conjunction with a subject sports competition comprised of two multi-player teams competing within a plurality of intra-game scoring intervals, said ticketing server comprising:
- a. a network connection permitting communication with client devices of pool ticket purchasors;
- b. a ticketing software component for administering the method and communicating with client devices to facilitate the sale of pool tickets;
- i. an outcome database comprised of a plurality of outcome records each corresponding to a potential wager event for a team or a player of a team within a scoring interval in the subject sports competition, wherein:
- 1. there is at least one outcome record for each scoring interval of the competition and there is a wager value assigned to each outcome record;
- and
- 2. the outcome database includes at least one outcome record corresponding to a team-based wager event for each scoring interval in the competition, and at least one player-based wager event for each scoring interval in the competition;
- c. a results interface through which intra-game scoring results corresponding to wager events can be captured for the subject sports competition;
- d. a purchaser interface to an account funding system, through which wager payments and winning wager amounts can be received, processed and disbursed on behalf of individual purchasers of pool tickets in accordance with the remainder of the method;
- and
- e. a ticket database comprised of ticket records each corresponding to a pool ticket sold corresponding to an outcome record and wager value, and including purchaser details linking the ticket sold to an individual purchaser via the purchaser interface,
- wherein said ticketing server can be used in the method by:
- a) selling pool tickets in respect of each scoring interval in the subject sports competition to purchasors up until the time of commencement of said scoring interval by, in respect of each pool ticket sold, in communication with a client device:
- i. permit the purchaser to furnish sold ticket particulars namely at least one outcome record representing a wager for a yet-to-commence scoring interval, along with capturing purchasor details corresponding to the individual purchaser on the purchaser interface;
- ii. capturing payment for the aggregate wager amount for all of the selected outcome records from the purchaser via the purchaser interface, using the captured purchaser details;
- iii. storing the sold ticket particulars of the sold ticket to a ticket record in the ticket database;
- and
- iv. associating the at least one outcome record for at least one yet-to-commence scoring interval with the ticket being sold;
- b) as the subject sports competition progresses, conducting an interval closing step following the conclusion of each intra-game scoring interval, being a closed interval, said interval closing step comprising:
- i. using the actual scoring statistics for the subject sports competition, identifying the occurrence of any wager event having occurred within the closed interval corresponding to an outcome record for the closed interval in the outcome database, any such wager event having occurred representing a paying wager;
- ii. determining the total wager pool for the closed interval, being the total wager amounts for all pool tickets sold in respect of the closed interval plus any retained player proceeds portion from the chronologically preceding scoring intervals where there were no winning tickets paid out in relation to paying wagers;
- iii. calculating a house proceeds portion of the total wager pool for the closed interval based upon a predetermined formula, wherein the house proceeds portion is retained by the operator of the pool;
- iv. calculating a player proceeds portion of the total wager pool for the closed interval, being the remainder of the total wager pool net of the house proceeds portion;
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- v. paying out the player proceeds portion as follows:
- 1. if no paying wagers are identified in respect of the closed interval, the player proceeds portion is retained for distribution in respect of the next chronologically following scoring interval;
- 2. if at least one paying wager is identified in respect of the closed interval:
- a. if there are no sold pool tickets in respect of any identified paying wagers, the player proceeds portion is retained for distribution in respect of the next chronologically following scoring interval;
- and
- b. if there are sold pool tickets in relation to the closed interval in respect of at least one paying wager:
- i. allocating the player proceeds portion to each sold pool ticket corresponding to a paying wager using a predetermined formula based upon the number of winning tickets sold and the wager amount of each sold ticket, each allocated amount of the player proceeds portion being a ticket payout amount;
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- ii. facilitating electronic payout of the ticket payout amount for each winning ticket to the purchasor of same via the purchaser interface using the payment details stored within the corresponding ticket record,
- wherein if there are no paying wagers identified in the last chronological scoring interval in the subject sports competition, the total wager pool including any retained player proceeds portion from the chronologically preceding scoring interval are retained by the operator of the pool;
- and
- wherein multiple sold pool tickets can correspond to a particular outcome record.