Fantasy sports data analysis for game structure development
In an aspect, fantasy sports data is analyzed to generate and/or manage the delivery of and user experience of fantasy sports games and contests, including timing and payout structure(s) for short-term fantasy contests, such as daily, weekly, etc. fantasy sports contests, that motivate and appeal to contestants and is/are reasonably structured and concisely represented. In yet another aspect, a daily fantasy contest system is provided to automatically adjust to user demand without overshooting profitable levels and offer a variety of different contests, as well as offer contests with guaranteed and non-guaranteed payouts.
1. A method comprising:
assigning, by a computing device, each winning place, of a number of winning places for a contest, to a single bucket, of a number of buckets;
determining, by the computing device and for each bucket of the number, a bucket prize amount using a tentative prize amount associated with each winning place assigned to the bucket, at least one bucket of the number having multiple winning places assigned to it and having a bucket prize amount that is a combination of the tentative prize amount associated with each of the multiple winning places assigned to it; and
determining, by the computing device and for a bucket comprising multiple winning places, a prize amount for each winning place, of the number of winning places, assigned to the bucket using the bucket prize amount determined for the bucket, the determining comprising ensuring that a higher ranked winning place of the multiple winning places has an associated prize amount that is at least as much as a next ranked winning place of the multiple winning places.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the computing device, the tentative payout structure comprising a tentative prize amount for each winning place of the number of winning places, the determining comprising using a rate indicative of a degree to which payout amounts fall from a first place prize amount to a last place prize amount.
3. The method of claim 2 , determining a tentative payout structure further comprising using a power law with the rate in determining the tentative payout structure.
4. The method of claim 2 , determining a tentative payout structure further comprising determining the tentative payout structure using a total prize pool amount, a number of winning contest participants intended to share in the total prize pool amount, and a minimum price amount.
5. The method of claim 2 , determining a tentative payout structure further comprising:
determining a level of precision for use with each non-first place prize in the tentative payout structure; and
determining, for a non-first-place prize in the tentative payout structure, a tentative payout, for the non-first-place prize, using the level of precision.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a number of payout structure candidates, each payout structure candidate identifying a prize amount for each winning place;
determining, for each payout structure candidate of the number, a measure of closeness to the tentative payout structure;
selecting, using the measure of closeness determined for each payout structure candidate, a payout structure candidate closest to the tentative payout structure; and
using the selected payout structure candidate in determining the prize amount for each winning place assigned to each bucket of the number of buckets.
7. The method of claim 6 , the measure of closeness comprises a Euclidean distance.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein each winning place of the number of winning places has an associated ranking within the number of winning places and the selected payout structure candidate satisfies prize monotonicity such that one winning place's prize amount is at least as much as a next-ranked winning place's prize amount.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein as many of the winning places, of the number of winning places, are rounded to a nice number while ensuring that a total amount of payout apportioned to the winning places is equal to a total prize pool amount.
10. The method of claim 1 , each winning place assigned to a same bucket has a same associated prize amount.
11. The method of claim 1 , each bucket of the number of buckets has an associated ranking within the number of buckets and the assigning each winning place comprising assigning each winning place, of the number of winning places for the contest, to a single bucket such that the number of winning places assigned to a given bucket, of the number of buckets, is less than or equal to the number of winning places assigned to a next-ranked bucket.
12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor associated with a computing device perform a method comprising:
assigning each winning place, of a number of winning places for a contest, to a single bucket, of a number of buckets;
determining, for each bucket of the number, a bucket prize amount using a tentative prize amount associated with each winning place assigned to the bucket, at least one bucket of the number having multiple winning places assigned to it and having a bucket prize amount that is a combination of the tentative prize amount associated with each of the multiple winning places assigned to it; and
determining, for a bucket comprising multiple winning places, a prize amount for each winning place, of the number of winning places, assigned to the bucket using the bucket prize amount determined for the bucket, the determining comprising ensuring that a higher ranked winning place of the multiple winning places has an associated prize amount that is at least as much as a next ranked winning place of the multiple winning places.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining, by the computing device, the tentative payout structure comprising a tentative prize amount for each winning place of the number of winning places, the determining comprising using a rate indicative of a degree to which payout amounts fall from a first place prize amount to a last place prize amount.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , determining a tentative payout structure further comprising using a power law with the rate in determining the tentative payout structure.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , determining a tentative payout structure further comprising determining the tentative payout structure using a total prize pool amount, a number of winning contest participants intended to share in the total prize pool amount, and a minimum price amount.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , determining a tentative payout structure further comprising:
determining a level of precision for use with each non-first place prize in the tentative payout structure; and
determining, for a non-first-place prize in the tentative payout structure, a tentative payout, for the non-first-place prize, using the level of precision.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining a number of payout structure candidates, each payout structure candidate identifying a prize amount for each winning place;
determining, for each payout structure candidate of the number, a measure of closeness to the tentative payout structure;
selecting, using the measure of closeness determined for each payout structure candidate, a payout structure candidate closest to the tentative payout structure; and
using the selected payout structure candidate in determining the prize amount for each winning place assigned to each bucket of the number of buckets.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein each winning place of the number of winning places has an associated ranking within the number of winning places and the selected payout structure candidate satisfies prize monotonicity such that one winning place's prize amount is at least as much as a next-ranked winning place's prize amount.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , each bucket of the number of buckets has an associated ranking within the number of buckets and the assigning each winning place comprising assigning each winning place, of the number of winning places for the contest, to a single bucket such that the number of winning places assigned to a given bucket, of the number of buckets, is less than or equal to the number of winning places assigned to a next-ranked bucket.
20. A computing device comprising:
a processor;
a non-transitory storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising:
assigning logic executed by the processor for assigning each winning place, of a number of winning places for a contest, to a single bucket, of a number of buckets;
determining logic executed by the processor for determining, for each bucket of the number, a bucket prize amount using a tentative prize amount associated with each winning place assigned to the bucket, at least one bucket of the number having multiple winning places assigned to it and having a bucket prize amount that is a combination of the tentative prize amount associated with each of the multiple winning places assigned to it; and
determining logic executed by the processor for determining, for a bucket comprising multiple winning places, a prize amount for each winning place, of the number of winning places, assigned to the bucket using the bucket prize amount determined for the bucket, the determining comprising ensuring that a higher ranked winning place of the multiple winning places has an associated prize amount that is at least as much as a next ranked winning place of the multiple winning places.