System and method for playing a lottery-type game

• US 20030114210A1
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games International Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Royalty Corporation (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Richard, Fred L., Tracy, Joseph J., Meyer, Mark G., Jonasson, Keith A., Jonasson, Deborah
• Granted Patent: US 6,830,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/06 Lottos or bingo games; Systems, apparatus or devices for checking such games small boxes with balls used for generating random numbers A63F7/048; lottery apparatus G07C15/00; lottery gaming stations, online lottery or bingo G07F17/329; printing processes for lottery tickets B41M3/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

A system and method of playing a lottery-type game are provided. The game comprises obtaining at least one player-selected combination, or concatenated indicia string, such as from a series of one or more columns on a game play slip. A first random combination, or concatenated indicia string, is generated by a gaming administrator and it is determined whether at least one of the player-selected combinations matches the gaming administrator generated combination. Regardless of whether any player-selected combinations match the first gaming administrator generated combination, at least a second gaming administrator generated combination, or more, may be provided for a player to determine whether at least one of the player-selected combinations matches the second gaming administrator generated combination. A payout amount may be awarded based upon the number of player-selected combinations and gaming administrator generated combinations matched.

Claims

1. A method of playing a game of chance, the method comprising:

obtaining at least one player-selected combination of indicia;

obtaining a first randomly generated combination of indicia;

determining whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches the first randomly generated combination of indicia;

obtaining a second randomly generated combination of indicia; and

determining whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches said second randomly generated combination of indicia, regardless of whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matched the first randomly generated combination of indicia.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining at least one additional randomly generated combination of indicia; and

sequentially determining whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination matches a sequentially subsequent one of the at least one additional randomly generated combination of indicia, regardless of whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matched one or more sequentially previous randomly generated combinations of indicia.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising dividing the game into a series of individual rounds of play wherein each round of play of the series includes determining whether a least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches a single randomly generated combination of indicia.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising providing a nonlinearly increasing payout structure for a plurality of winning rounds of play.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a quantity of player-selected combinations of indicia which may be obtained.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising establishing at least one payout amount which corresponds to both the quantity of player-selected combinations and a quantity of randomly generated combinations of indicia matched with the at least one player-selected combination of indicia.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining at least one player-selected combination of indicia includes selecting a series of individual indicia from a set of indicia.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the obtaining a first randomly generated combination of indicia includes randomly selecting a series of individual indicia from the set of indicia.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the set of indicia is organized in a plurality of columns of indicia.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the obtaining at least one player-selected combination of indicia includes obtaining a player selection of a specified quantity of indicia from each column of the plurality.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein each of the at least one player-selected combination includes one indicium selected from each column of the plurality.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the obtaining a first randomly generated combination of indicia comprises generating one indicium corresponding to each column of the plurality.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing a first payout amount which corresponds to matching at least one of the at least one player-selected combination with any one of an established number of eligible randomly generated combinations of indicia.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising establishing a second payout amount which corresponds to matching at least two of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia with any two of the established number of eligible randomly generated combinations of indicia.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the second payout amount is greater than the first payout amount.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second payout amount is more than twice as much as the first payout amount.

17. A method of conducting a game of chance, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of player selectable indicia;

allowing a player to select at least one combination of indicia from the plurality of player selectable indicia;

randomly generating a first combination of indicia from a set of indicia corresponding to the plurality of player selectable indicia;

determining whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches the first randomly generated combination of indicia;

randomly generating a second combination of indicia from the set of indicia; and

determining whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches the second randomly generated combination of indicia regardless of whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches the first randomly generated combination of indicia.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

randomly generating at least one additional combination of indicia from the set of indicia; and

determining whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches the at least one additional randomly generated combination of indicia regardless of whether at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia matches the first or second randomly generated combination of indicia.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising establishing a first payout amount which corresponds to obtaining a first match of at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia with any one of an established number of eligible randomly generated combinations of indicia from the set of indicia.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising establishing a second payout which corresponds to obtaining a second match of at least one of the at least one player-selected combination of indicia with any one of the established number of eligible randomly generated combinations of indicia.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein establishing a second payout includes establishing the second payout to be more than twice that of the first payout.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising arranging the player selectable indicia in a matrix including a plurality of columns.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the allowing a player to select at least one combination of indicia from the plurality of player selectable indicia includes allowing the player to select a specified quantity of indicia from each column of the plurality of columns.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising allowing the player to specify the quantity of indicia to be selected from each column of the plurality of columns.

25. A method of conducting a lottery game, the method comprising:

requiring a player to become eligible for a plurality of rounds of play;

providing the player with an opportunity to win in each round of play in which the player is eligible;

providing a nonlinear payout schedule for multiple winning rounds of play within the plurality of rounds of play in which the player is eligible.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein requiring a player to become eligible for a plurality of rounds of play includes requiring the player to provide a total wager amount corresponding to a plurality of individual wager amounts, each individual wager amount corresponding to an individual round of play.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein providing a nonlinear payout schedule includes providing a first payout associated with a first winning round and a second payout associated with a second winning round wherein the second payout is more than twice the first payout.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising providing a third payout associated with a third winning round wherein the third payout is more than twice the second payout.

29. A system for facilitating a lottery game, comprising:

at least one indicia generator configured to generate a plurality of combinations of indicia;

a set of player selectable indicia;

a selecting device configured to allow a player to obtain at least one player-selected combination of indicia from the set of player selectable indicia;

a processor configured to determine a number of matches between at least one of the at least one player-selected combination and a set quantity of the plurality of generated combinations.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said plurality of generated combinations are drawn from a set of indicia corresponding to the set of player selectable indicia.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said set of player selectable indicia is organized into a matrix including a plurality of columns of indicia.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein said selecting device is configured to allow a player to select a specified quantity of indicia from each column of the plurality.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the selecting device is configured to allow a player to determine the specified quantity of indicia to select in each column of the plurality.

34. The system of claim 29, further comprising a wager collector configured to collect a wager amount corresponding to the specified quantity of sequentially generated combinations with which the at least one player-selected combination is eligible to be compared.