The present invention relates to lottery games, and more particularly to a lottery game providing multiple win opportunities for individual indicia.
Lottery games and instant win tickets are known to provide one or more potentially winnable prizes in the event a player makes a match with a winning number, symbol or series of numbers or symbols. For example, a Bingo lottery ticket is provided with a grid with individual indicia in each distinct area of the grid. The Bingo lottery ticket further provides a set of “called” numbers. The player can mark the grid indicia corresponding to the called numbers, and if the player matches all of the indicia in a pre-established pattern, such as along a row, column or diagonal line, then the player wins.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,654,529 illustrates what is typically known as a “key number match” game. In a key number match game, the number of possible prizes which can be shown to the player is limited to the number of player numbers. However, each of the player numbers is associated with only a single potentially winnable prize. Further, the numbers to which the player attempts to match his or her player numbers, which may be called the “winning numbers”, for example, are not associated with any specific prize or subset of prizes. Rather, the winning numbers can be matched by any of the player numbers to result in a win of the predetermined single amount.
Lottery game players are often motivated to play games that appear to offer a greater number of potential wins. In many ticket games, for example, players are given one or maybe two potential chances to win at a matching game. Even in a Bingo game with a five-by-five matrix, which provides potential wins in every row, every column and both diagonals, there are still only twelve potential wins associated with the game.
Therefore, there is a need to allow greater than one potential prize to be associated with a single indicia, as opposed to the past where a single, specific prize is associated with a single indicia or group of indicia.
The present invention provides a game with one or more player symbols, one or more winning symbols and a large number of potentially winnable prizes. Each of the potentially winnable prizes is capable of being won by matching one of the one or more winning symbols with one of the one or more player symbols. In one embodiment of the present invention, a total number of potentially winnable prizes is provided, with a first subset of the potentially winnable prizes associated with each of the one or more player symbols, and with a second subset of potentially winnable prizes associated with each of the one or more winning symbols. Further, each of the first and second subsets can be greater than one while being less than the total number of potentially winnable prizes. In this way, the present invention communicates that more prizes are available in the game, even if the odds of winning are adjusted such that the payout for any given game in accordance with the present invention is not changed as compared to prior games.
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In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the potentially winnable prizes is represented by a currency value and the player wins the currency found at the grid location where a player symbol matches a winning symbol. In another embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the potentially winnable prizes is represented by a prize symbol, which can be cross-referenced with a prize table, legend or formula in order for the player to understand the redemption value of the prize that has been won. In another embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the potentially winnable prizes does not translate into cash winnings, but rather is associated with other games or tickets, loyalty points, products, services, coupons or other reward measure, or a combination thereof.
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The lottery game in this embodiment also includes a total number of potentially winnable prizes 165. In the specific embodiment of
For each player symbol 162, the number of potentially winnable prizes in its associated row may be the same, more or less than the number of potentially winnable prizes in its associated column. For example, as shown in
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The tickets 100, 200 of the lottery game according to the present invention can be printed physical tickets, or can also be electronic tickets that are played using any of various electronic devices, including mobile communications devices (e.g., smart phones), personal computing devices (e.g., desktops, laptops), stand-alone video lottery terminals, retailer terminals and other known devices, for example. In one embodiment of the present invention, electronic tickets can be presented to the user of an electronic device over a network that is connected to a host computer that creates, issues, validates and/or redeems tickets using suitable programming stored in a memory thereof and operable via a computer processor maintained within the host. The player's electronic device also includes suitable programming, memory and processing capability to facilitate electronic representation of the game of the present invention on a display associated with the electronic device.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method of providing a lottery game is provided. The method includes providing a ticket having one or more player symbols and one or more winning symbols, providing a total number of potentially winnable prizes, each of the potentially winnable prizes capable of being won by matching one of the one or more winning symbols with one of the one or more player symbols. In one embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the total number of potentially winnable prizes is represented in a square or rectangular prize grid. In another embodiment, the total number of potentially winnable prizes is represented in another shape such as a right triangle or half-pyramid shaped grid, for example. The method of the present invention further includes providing a first number of potentially winnable prizes associated with each of the one or more player symbols, the first number being greater than or equal to one, and providing a second number of potentially winnable prizes associated with each of the one or more winning symbols, the second number being greater than or equal to one. In one embodiment of the present invention, both the first and second numbers of prizes are greater than one. In another embodiment of the present invention, the first number provided is less than the total number of potentially winnable prizes. In another embodiment, the second number provided is less than the total number of potentially winnable prizes. In still another embodiment, both the first number and the second number provided are less than the total number of potentially winnable prizes. In yet another embodiment, the first and second numbers provided are the same.
It should be understood that the foregoing description and examples are only illustrative of the present invention; the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, including variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and the manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Thus, various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims.