Methods and apparatus for providing a lottery game

• US 7,134,959 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2003
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Royalty Corporation (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Penrice, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B.
• Application Number:
  US10/603,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20040266514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/18, 463/16
• US Class Current: 463/17
• 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 gaming apparatus may comprise a value input device and a controller operatively coupled to the value input device. The controller may comprise a processor and a memory, and may be programmed to receive wager data in response to a wager made by a person on a game, where the wager data may comprise a first plurality of indicia of a first type selected by the person, to receive data representing a second plurality of indicia of the first type, where the second plurality of indicia of the first type may be randomly selected, to replace one or more of the indicia of a first type in at least one of the first plurality of indicia and the second plurality of indicia with an indicia of a second type, to determine whether any of the first plurality of indicia of the first type match any of the second plurality of indicia of the first type, to match the indicia of the second type with at least one of the second plurality of indicia of the first type if the indicia of a second type replaced an indicia of a first type from the first plurality of indicia, to match the indicia of the second type with at least one of the first plurality of indicia of the first type if the indicia of a second type replaced an indicia of a first type from the second plurality of indicia, and to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of the lottery game.

Claims

1. A lottery gaming system comprising:

a plurality of lottery terminals, each lottery terminal comprising;

a ticket printer capable of generating ticket vouchers,

a value input device,

a terminal controller operatively coupled to said ticket printer and said value input device, said terminal controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor; and

a lottery controller operatively coupled to each of the plurality of lottery terminals, the lottery controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor,

wherein said terminal controller is programmed to allow a person to make a wager on a game,

wherein said terminal controller is programmed to allow said person to select a first plurality of indicia of a first type,

wherein said terminal controller is programmed to communicate wager data to said lottery controller, said wager data comprising said first plurality of indicia of a first type,

said lottery controller being programmed to receive said wager data from each of said lottery terminals,

said lottery controller being programmed to receive data representing a second plurality of indicia of said first type, said second plurality of indicia of said first type being randomly selected,

said lottery controller being programmed to replace one or more of said indicia of a first type from said first plurality of indicia with an indicia of a second type,

wherein the terminal controller is programmed to cause said ticket printer to issue a ticket voucher comprising said first plurality of indicia of a first type with one or more of said indicia of the first type replaced with an indicia of the second type,

said lottery controller being programmed to determine whether any of said first plurality of indicia of a first type match any of said second plurality of indicia of a first type,

said lottery controller being programmed to match said indicia of a second type with at least one of said second plurality of indicia of a first type, and

said lottery controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said game.

2. A lottery gaming system as defined in claim 1,

wherein said lottery controller is further programmed to randomly associate a multiplier factor with said wager, and

wherein said lottery controller is programmed to multiply said value payout by said by said multiplier factor.

3. A lottery gaming system as defined in claim 2,

wherein said lottery controller is programmed to randomly assign a value to said multiplier factor, and

wherein said lottery controller is programmed to multiply said value payout by said randomly assigned value.

4. A lottery gaming system as defined in claim 2, wherein said lottery controller is programmed to randomly associate said multiplier factor with said indicia of a second type.

5. A lottery terminal, comprising:

a ticket printer capable of generating ticket vouchers,

a value input device,

a terminal controller operatively coupled to said ticket printer and said value input device, said terminal controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor;

said terminal controller being programmed to allow a person to make a wager on a game;

said terminal controller further being programmed to allow said person to select a first plurality of indicia of a first type;

said terminal controller further being programmed to communicate wager data to a lottery controller, said wager data comprising said first plurality of indicia of a first type, and to receive data form the lottery controller representing a second plurality of indicia of said first type, said second plurality of indicia of said first type being randomly selected and replacing one or more of said indicia of a first type from said first plurality of indicia with an indicia of a second type; and

wherein the terminal controller is programmed to cause said ticket printer to issue a ticket voucher comprising said first plurality of indicia of a first type with one or more of said indicia of the first type replaced with an indicia of the second type.

6. The lottery terminal of claim 5, wherein said lottery terminal further receives a multiplier value from the lottery controller.

7. A lottery controller operatively coupled to each of a plurality of lottery terminals, the lottery controller comprising:

a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor;

wherein the lottery controller selectively receiving game data from the plurality of lottery terminal including a wager on a game, wherein in each game a person to selects a first plurality of indicia of a first type,

the lottery controller randomly selecting a second plurality of indicia of said first type and replacing one or more of said indicia of a first type from said first plurality of indicia in the game data with an indicia of a second type;

the lottery controller being programmed to determine whether any of said first plurality of indicia of a first type match any of said second plurality of indicia of a first type;

the lottery controller being programmed to match said indicia of a second type with at least one of said second plurality of indicia of a first type, and

said lottery controller being programmed to determine a value payout associated with an outcome of said game.

8. The lottery controller of claim 7, wherein said lottery controller is further programmed to randomly associate a multiplier factor with said wager, and wherein said lottery controller is programmed to multiply said value payout by said by said multiplier factor.

9. The lottery controller of claim 7, wherein said lottery controller is further programmed to randomly assign a value to said multiplier factor, and wherein said lottery controller is programmed to multiply said value payout by said randomly assigned value.

10. The lottery controller of claim 7, wherein said lottery controller is further programmed to randomly associate said multiplier factor with said indicia of a second type.