A method is provided of digitally imaging a secure portion and a non-secure portion of scratch-off-coating protected documents of at least one game using middleware. The method includes: (a) generating the secure variable indicia in non-vector raster format; (b) generating vector graphics to be imaged on physical document locations; (c) assigning the secure variable indicia in a non-vector raster format to documents in and shuffling the documents throughout a print run; and (d) linking via middleware the secure variable indicia in the non-vector raster format to associated vector graphics variable indicia to be digitally imaged on the documents and to generate vector graphics-formatted data for each document in the print run. The secure variable indicia assignment and shuffling are executed by non-vector raster game generation software output that is reinterpreted by the middleware to produce related vector graphic output for the secure variable indicia.

Lottery tickets and lottery gaming systems and methods providing such lottery tickets, wherein the lottery tickets each have a connected symbol set path feature including a plurality of connected symbol sets along a bonus award path, a plurality of player symbols, and potential awards that can be won based on the symbol sets and the connected symbol sets along the bonus award path and the player symbols.

There is provided a shuffled playing card, wherein a suit and a rank are printed on one surface of a card base sheet, and a back pattern is printed on another surface, different sheet IDs for one card base sheet or each of a plurality of card base sheets are printed on the card base sheet, one deck or a plurality of decks are formed by individual cards cut by a cutting machine from the card base sheet, the one deck or the plurality of decks are shuffled by a shuffle machine to form a set of shuffled playing cards, different shuffled playing card IDs for each set are assigned to the shuffled playing card as ID codes, and the sheet ID of the playing card constituting the shuffled playing card and the shuffled playing card ID are associated with each other in a database.

A method for providing scratch-off lottery tickets for sale remote from a POS location in a retail establishment includes configuring the tickets with a game play area having play characters covered by a scratch-off coating. A print characteristic is provided in the game play area that is optically scannable but not reproducible when photocopying the game play area. In a database, identification of the printed characteristic is linked to a computer file associated with the lottery ticket at a central lottery computer. An optically scannable random identifier is also provided in the game play area and is linked to the computer file. Upon presentation of the lottery ticket for purchase, the ticket or a scanned image of the ticket is analyzed to verify that the print characteristic is present in the game play area. The scanned image of the ticket is analyzed to verify that the random identifier assigned to the lottery ticket is present in the game play area of the scanned image.

A lottery ticket dispenser array includes a frame and a plurality of separate bins contained within the frame. Each bin includes a housing having a front side that faces a purchaser in operational use of the dispenser array, an opposite back side, and an internal space for receipt of a supply of interconnected lottery tickets, wherein each lottery tickets contains a code printed thereon. Each bin has an electronic drive mechanism that dispenses the lottery tickets therefrom. The bins are separately removable and insertable into the array. A printer module is provided in the array and has a size and configuration so as to be insertable into the array in place of at least one of the bins.

A method is provided of digitally imaging a secure portion and a non-secure portion of scratch-off-coating protected documents of at least one game using middleware. The method includes: (a) generating the secure variable indicia in non-vector raster format; (b) generating vector graphics to be imaged on physical document locations; (c) assigning the secure variable indicia in a non-vector raster format to documents in and shuffling the documents throughout a print run; and (d) linking via middleware the secure variable indicia in the non-vector raster format to associated vector graphics variable indicia to be digitally imaged on the documents and to generate vector graphics-formatted data for each document in the print run. The secure variable indicia assignment and shuffling are executed by non-vector raster game generation software output that is reinterpreted by the middleware to produce related vector graphic output for the secure variable indicia.

A redundantly printed security-enhanced document, printing method, and system for better ensuring that the meaning of the information imparted by variable indicia printed by redundant printing indicia on a document protected by a removable Scratch-Off Coating (SOC). By printing the variable indicia with multiple colors, redundancy and integrity of the intended indicia is achieved relative to the perception of human eye photoreceptor cones. The redundantly printed document, methods, and systems enhance the overall appearance of the redundantly printed document, and reduce possible consequences resulting from misprinted variable indicia.

A printed security-enhanced document, printing method, and system for ensuring that any printing defects present in the variable indicia also occur in the background on the document protected. By ensuring that random printing defects in the variable indicia also appear in the same document's background, detection of the printing defects becomes more readily apparent.

A printed game card, sheet or ticket set can incorporate multiple individual tickets separated by perforation, scoring or folds, for example. In various embodiments, the game card or sheet is printed with at least one playable game on each individual ticket, wherein the games can be instant win games with game indicia and one or more layers of varnish or rubber-based material that is removable to reveal the indicia. Each ticket on the game card, sheet or ticket set can include individual validation and/or activation indicia. The indicia can be human-readable and/or computer readable. Further, the entire game card, sheet or ticket set can include game or sheet activation indicia, such that when the entire sheet is sold, the entirety of individual game tickets can be activated simultaneously. When the individual game ticket validation codes are read, embodiments of the present invention can operate to individually assess whether the ticket is a winner, as well as whether the ticket has previously been redeemed.

A lottery ticket dispenser array includes a frame and a plurality of separate bins contained within the frame. Each bin includes a housing having a front side that faces a purchaser in operational use of the dispenser array, an opposite back side, and an internal space for receipt of a supply of interconnected lottery tickets, wherein each lottery tickets contains a code printed thereon. Each bin has an electronic drive mechanism that dispenses the lottery tickets therefrom. The bins are separately removable and insertable into the array. A printer module is provided in the array and has a size and configuration so as to be insertable into the array in place of at least one of the bins.