Instant lottery game ticket and method of playing same

• US 20090121425A1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HGK Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Markman Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Berkowitz, Norman G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,333,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/139
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0665 having a message becoming legible after rubbing-off a coating or removing an adhesive layer for educational purposes G09B
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

An instant lottery ticket game wherein a scratch-off material is removed from a first playing area of the ticket, and if three or more like kind outcome indicia are revealed, the ticket is a winner; however, if three or more like kind outcome indicia are not revealed in the first playing area, a scratch-off covering material is removed from a second playing area to reveal a “Bonus” prize award, so that every ticket is a winning ticket.

Claims

1. A lottery game comprised of a series of tickets adapted for individual vending, each ticket comprising:

(a) a ticket having a first side and a second side,

(b) first and second game sections on the ticket having a removable seal over said section,

(c) at least one instruction section on the ticket,

(d) said first game section having obscured under the seal a symbol composite or game the value of which as a win is designated in the instruction section, and

(e) the second game section having obscured under the seal a designation of a bonus win the awarding of which is dependent upon the result of play in said first game section,

(f) wherein at least one of the game sections will always contain a winning designation.

2. A lottery card game in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first game section contains a designation of a prize award which prize award may include the right to enter the second seal section.

3. A lottery game card in accordance with claim 2 wherein the second game section is authorized for entry only based on the results of play in the first game section.

4. A lottery game card in accordance with claim 3 wherein the authorization to enter the second game section is predicated upon lack of an award from the first game section.

5. A lottery game card in accordance with claim 4 wherein in general smaller individual win awards are granted in the first game section than in the second game section.

6. A lottery game card in accordance with claim 5 additionally comprising a payout guide respecting the values of combinations of various symbolic designations appearing in the first game section.

7. A lottery game card in accordance with claim 6 wherein the symbolic designations used in the first game section are simulative of a dice game.

8. A method of playing an instant lottery ticket game wherein a payout is payable to the holder of every ticket comprising:

(a) obtaining a lottery ticket having a first playing area with a series of scratch-off type locations under which related indicia are visible upon removing an opaque covering plus a second playing area having a scratch-off type location which may obscure a notification of a bonus payment due to the holder of the card,

(b) removing the scratch-off coating from the first playing area of the card and matching the indicia revealed to determine if any combinations are present which are indicated in a separate list of winning combinations as entitling the ticket holder to a winning payment,

(c) cashing in the ticket for any prize or payment indicated in the listing of values,

(d) if no winning combination of indicia is revealed by removing the scratch-off coating from the first playing area location in accordance with the list of winning combinations, removing the scratch-off coating from the second playing area to determine a bonus prize hidden thereunder,

(e) collecting the bonus indicated in the second playing section.

10. A method of playing an instant lottery game in accordance with claim 9 wherein if a designated number of like kind outcome indicia are revealed in said first playing area, the ticket is a winning ticket and the payout to be awarded is determined by comparing the combination of outcome indicia to a payout table.

13. A method of playing an instant lottery game in accordance with claim 10 wherein a more valuable bonus is customarily provided in accordance with the second playing area over any substantial number of winning tickets than is provided in the first playing area.

14. A method of playing an instant lottery game in accordance with claim 13 wherein relatively small bonus payouts are accumulated in an individual account for the player by the game operator until a sum certain is accumulated and then paid out.

11. A method of playing an instant lottery game in accordance with claim 9 wherein said game is simulative of a dice game and includes depictions of a plurality of die faces in the first playing area and if three or more like kind die faces are revealed in the first playing area the ticket is a winning ticket.

12. A method of playing an instant lottery game in accordance with claim 11 wherein the player matches indicia in the form of die faces found under the scratch-off coating after scratching off such coating to determine if a winning combination of die faces is present as indicated by the list of winning die combinations.

15. An instant lottery ticket game comprising:

(a) a series of instant lottery tickets, each ticket having two sides,

(b) one side of each ticket containing a first scratch-off coating section and a second scratch-off coating section,

(c) the first scratch-off section having under a scratch-off coating a plurality of related designations,

(d) the second scratch-off section having under a scratch-off coating an indication of a bonus payment,

(e) the opposite side bearing a list of winning combinations which may appear in the first section, and

(f) accompanying instructions for playing the instant lottery game to determine a guaranteed winnings.

16. An instant lottery ticket game in accordance with claim 15 in which any given series of tickets has a predetermined number of tickets having combinations of designations in the first section which are indicated to be winners in the list of winning combinations plus a predetermined number of tickets are indicated in the second bonus section to entitle the holder to a bonus payout.

17. An instant lottery ticket game in accordance with claim 16 wherein the tickets with a winning combination in the first section do not list a bonus payment in the second section.

18. An instant lottery ticket game in accordance with claim 17 wherein the winnings listed in the first section are in general smaller and more numerous over any given series of tickets and the bonuses listed in the second section are in general larger and less numerous over any given series of tickets.

19. An instant lottery game in accordance with claim 18 wherein at least some of the winnings listed in the second section are accumulated in individual player accounts by the game operator until paid out to the player, and wherein under predetermined conditions sums accumulated in individual player accounts become qualified for random chance of at least partial multiplication.

20. An instant lottery ticket game in accordance with claim 15 in which every ticket entitles the player to at least a small reward and at least the majority of small rewards are retained in individual player accounts wherein prevailing interest is paid on the individual accounts for a period until a cumulative amount is obtained at which time such amount can be withdrawn by the individual player, or may become qualified after a period of time for entrance into random arbitrary chance procedures resulting in further awards, which random chance procedures may result in a degree of multiplication of the amount in the account.