US-12616897-B1 - Systems and methods for processing combination selections including predictions and fantasy entries

US12616897B1US 12616897 B1US12616897 B1US 12616897B1US-12616897-B1

Abstract

Methods of processing a combination selections are disclosed. A method may include receiving, by a processor, a combination selection of a user, the combination selection comprising one or more prediction selections corresponding to one or more predictions and a fantasy entry selection corresponding to a fantasy entry. The method may include communicating, by the processor, with an externally controlled second computing device such that the user is entered into one or more event contracts corresponding to the one or more predictions via the second computing device. The method may include reserving, by the processor, the fantasy entry. The method may include determining, by the processor, a payout amount by which to update an account of the user based on an outcome of the one or more event contracts and the fantasy entry. Graphical user interfaces, and associated methods, for making combination selections are also disclosed.

Inventors

Brandon Alan Stakenborg
Dustin Tyler Cooper
Weston Lee Jossey
Samuel York Baker
Nicholas Glenn Green

Assignees

UNDERDOG SPORTS, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20250829

Claims (20)

1 . A method of processing a combination selection comprising one or more prediction selections and a fantasy entry selection from a user to determine a payout amount to the user, the method comprising: receiving, by a processor of a first computing device, a combination selection from a user controlled computing device of a user, the combination selection comprising one or more prediction selections corresponding to one or more predictions and a fantasy entry selection corresponding to a fantasy entry; communicating, by the processor, with an externally controlled second computing device of a designated contract market (DCM) such that the user is entered into one or more event contracts corresponding to the one or more predictions via the second computing device; reserving, by the processor, the fantasy entry before the one or more event contracts settle; and determining, by the processor, a payout amount by which to update an account of the user based on an outcome of the one or more event contracts and the fantasy entry.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device is controlled by a fantasy sports entity.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the combination selection is received from the user via a graphical user interface.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reserving the fantasy entry comprises freezing one or more current characteristics of picks of the fantasy entry.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reserving the fantasy entry comprises setting, by the processor, a maximum entry amount limit for the fantasy entry and a minimum entry amount limit for the fantasy entry.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein reserving the fantasy entry comprises updating, by the processor, the account of the user by a reservation amount equal to the minimum entry amount limit for the fantasy entry.
7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein reserving the fantasy entry comprises updating, by the processor, the account of the user by a reservation amount of at least the minimum entry amount limit for the fantasy entry.
8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the maximum entry amount limit has been determined based on the one or more predictions and the fantasy entry.
9 . The method of claim 5 , comprising determining, by the processor, the maximum entry amount limit based on the one or more predictions and the fantasy entry.
10 . The method of claim 5 , wherein an overall entry amount selection has been received for the combination selection and the maximum entry amount limit has been determined based on the overall entry amount selection.
11 . The method of claim 5 , wherein an overall entry amount selection has been received for the combination selection and the method comprises determining, by the processor, the maximum entry amount limit based on the overall entry amount selection.
12 . The method of claim 5 , wherein an overall entry amount selection has been received for the combination selection, the user can receive a maximum payout amount based on the overall entry amount selection, and the maximum entry amount limit is an amount that will result in the user receiving the maximum payout amount if the fantasy entry resolves in favor of the user.
13 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the one or more predictions resolve against the user and the method comprises, based on a user setting, automatically updating, by the processor, the account of the user by a fantasy entry amount such that the fantasy entry is funded to the maximum entry amount limit.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the fantasy entry amount is equal to the maximum entry amount limit less the minimum entry amount limit.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the user setting is received in the combination selection.
16 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the one or more predictions resolve against the user and the method comprises, based on a user setting, automatically updating, by the processor, the account of the user by a fantasy entry amount such that the fantasy entry is funded more than the minimum entry amount limit.
17 . The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the one or more event contracts have been terminated and/or sold by the user prior to resolving the one or more event contracts and the method comprises, based on a user setting, updating, by the processor, the account of the user by a fantasy entry amount such that the fantasy entry is funded to the maximum entry amount limit.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the fantasy entry amount is equal to the maximum entry amount limit less any payout amount received from the termination and/or selling of the at least one of the one or more event contracts.
19 . The method of claim 1 , comprising creating, by the processor, a fantasy entry slip comprising a maximum entry amount limit and a minimum entry amount limit.
20 . The method of claim 1 , comprising determining, by the processor, based on a user setting, that the account of the user does not have a sufficient amount to additionally fund the fantasy entry and cancelling the fantasy entry.

Description

BACKGROUND Fantasy sports games (e.g., contests or competitions) (e.g., Pick 'Em style games) have existed for several years that allow users to win prizes, sometimes in the form of money, based on their skill in picking certain outcomes for athletes in sports games or events (e.g., tournaments). In some such fantasy sports games, users make fantasy entries that include a set of fantasy picks for two or more athletes. Such picks may correspond, for example, to one or more player stats for a particular player for a game. For example, a user may make a pick that a certain player will score more or fewer points than a preset amount of points during a particular game and/or may have more or fewer assists during the game. Fantasy picks for other player stats (e.g., sport-specific stats) may be available to include as a pick in a fantasy entry. Certain jurisdictions, such as in jurisdictions (e.g., states and/or federally) in the United States (U.S.), require that a fantasy entry has certain characteristics, such as that a fantasy entry includes picks for at least two athletes that are on different teams. More recently, prediction markets have begun allowing users to make predictions for outcomes of a variety of events, including certain sports games in terms of which team will win the game. In the U.S., these predictions are made via a type of futures contract referred to as an event contract. Some such event contracts are contracts, each of which is entered into by opposing parties (e.g., a user and a counter party) and pays an amount to each of the parties based on which team wins a sports game as determined in a manner specified in the contract, generally the final score subject to certain conditions; generally a value of the contract to is paid to the winning party and nothing is paid to the losing party. Prediction markets and event contracts are regulated in the U.S. by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). To date, fantasy games involving fantasy entries and prediction markets for sports games have been entirely separate. That is, these products have been offered to users by different entities (e.g., companies) using different apps and/or websites. SUMMARY The present disclosure includes the recognition that there is a desire by users to be able to make predictions and fantasy entries using a single interface and to obtain payouts for entry amounts where the payouts reflect the users' skill and accuracy in making combinations of predictions and fantasy picks. Moreover, the present disclosure recognizes that regulatory and legal hurdles that require specific handling for fantasy entries and prediction markets (e.g., event contracts processed thereon) can be addressed while providing a user with a “seamless” user experience to make a combination selection comprising one or more prediction selections and fantasy entry selection as a single submission if the combination selection is processed in an appropriate manner, using specific technical computing systems and methods disclosed herein. Disclosed herein are, among other things, systems and methods for making and processing combination selections for users that include one or more prediction selections corresponding to one or more predictions and a fantasy entry selection corresponding to a fantasy entry that includes one or more fantasy picks. A combination selection may be used to, in parallel, enter a user into one or more event contracts corresponding to the one or more predictions and reserve the fantasy entry. In this way, one or more current characteristics of a fantasy entry (e.g., price corresponding to a particular fantasy pick) may be frozen when reserving the fantasy entry even if the one or more current characteristics would otherwise vary between (i) the reserving and (ii) resolution (e.g., grading and/or settlement) and/or if the fantasy entry were only made after resolving the one or more predictions. Reserving a fantasy entry can facilitate making a fantasy entry at a time when it is still possible to do so while using proceeds from a prediction to fund the fantasy entry whereas if one waited for a prediction corresponding to prediction selection to resolve and the underlying event contract(s) to settle before making the fantasy entry, it may be too late to make the fantasy entry at all, for example because one or more events corresponding to one or more fantasy picks in the fantasy entry have already begun. A reserved fantasy entry can be resolved (e.g., graded and/or settled) on a delay to allow time for one or more predictions to resolve and the underlying event contract(s) to settle to then provide funding to the fantasy entry for its subsequent settlement in a regulatorily compliant manner, that is, for proceeds of the event contract(s) to automatically fund the fantasy entry even though the fantasy entry would otherwise have been able to be settled earlier if not funded by proceeds from event contract(s). Such systems and m