Method and apparatus for dispensing funds in a lottery

Abstract

A lottery apparatus includes a programmed computer acting as a lottery control system which controls operation of the distribution of prizes to the purchasing customers from a lottery pool. The apparatus includes a plurality of typical instant win lottery tickets having a predetermined prize result taken from the pool together with a plurality of lottery cards which do not act as lottery tickets but instead include an activation code containing no information defining a prize and an access code which is used for entry by the customer into a digital experience provided by the lottery control system by which the customer accesses game information. The system, when the code is activated, assigns the result from the pool to the code and displays to the customer on a digital experience when accessed by the access code.

Claims

1. A method for managing a lottery distribution of lottery funds to customers in a lottery comprising: providing a lottery control system comprising at least one programmed computer; providing a plurality of lottery cards each comprising a substrate and each having printed thereon: a Point of Sale (POS) code by which the lottery card is scanned through a POS system for purchase of the lottery card by a customer of the customers; a unique activation code which is scanned for entry of data identifying the lottery card into the lottery control system; and an access code which is used for entry by the customer into a digital experience provided by the lottery control system on a communication platform accessible by an internet communication device operated by the customer; providing in the lottery control system a predetermined pool of instant win lottery outcomes containing both winners of a predetermined prize and non-winners of the lottery; the lottery control system being arranged to receive the unique activation code of a lottery card when transmitted from a POS terminal to the lottery control system after reading of the POS code and the activation code of the lottery card by the POS terminal and after completing a purchase transaction of the lottery card using the POS code at the POS terminal; the lottery control system and the lottery cards being arranged such that, prior to receipt of the activation code from a lottery card by the lottery control system, the lottery card is not associated in the lottery control system with any of the outcomes in the pool of outcomes; in response to the receipt of the activation code by the lottery control system, selecting from the predetermined pool of instant win lottery outcomes one of the lottery outcomes as a selected outcome and associating the activation code with the selected outcome; the lottery control system operating to display to the customer on said digital experience said selected outcome as a digital experience game mechanic; wherein the display of the selected outcome on the digital experience game mechanic is provided by the lottery control system independent of any game symbols provided on the lottery card; wherein the lottery control system provides only, with the digital experience game mechanic and thus not on the lottery card, a validation code which is arranged to be stored on the internet communication device of the customer; and wherein the validation of the prize determined by the selected outcome is carried out by displaying the validation code from the digital experience game mechanic on the internet communication device to a lottery terminal.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 [1] wherein the access code is arranged to be manually entered.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the access code is appended to a URL provided in a QR Code image.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lottery control system is arranged such that the lottery cards are entered into inventory for payment by a retailer to the lottery only when the activation code is activated via a purchase.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lottery control system is arranged such that the lottery tickets are entered into inventory for payment by a retailer to the lottery when the lottery ticket is supplied to the retailer.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lottery control system is arranged to display on the digital experience a second-chance draw or game after display of said result as to whether the lottery card is either a winner of a predetermined prize or a non-winner of the lottery.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lottery control system comprises a single networked computer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lottery control system comprises a series of interconnected computers having access to the communications network via a networking system.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lottery control system comprises a first lottery control component managed by the lottery and a second lottery control component managed by a supplier of the lottery tickets and the lottery cards.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lottery control system operates to assign the game outcome to the lottery cards in the following way: the POS system transmits the activation code and retailer data payload to the lottery control system; the activation code is scrubbed through a number of security measures by the lottery control system to ensure it is valid; a predetermined outcome in the form of a validation code from the reserved pool is assigned to the transmitted activation code by the lottery control system; the lottery control System returns the validation code to the POS System; the POS system transmits the validation code returned to the lottery control system to be made active for redemption; the lottery control system returns a response to the POS System confirming successful activation of that validation code.

11. A method for managing a lottery distribution of lottery funds to customers in a lottery comprising: providing a lottery control system comprising at least one programmed computer; providing a plurality of lottery cards each comprising a substrate and each having printed thereon: a Point of Sale (POS) code by which the lottery card is scanned through a POS system for purchase of the lottery card by a customer of the customers; a unique activation code which is scanned for entry of data identifying the lottery card into the lottery control system; and an access code which is used for entry by the customer into a digital experience provided by the lottery control system on a communication platform accessible by an internet communication device operated by the customer; providing in the lottery control system a predetermined pool of instant win lottery outcomes containing both winners of a predetermined prize and non-winners of the lottery; the lottery control system being arranged to receive the unique activation code of a lottery card when transmitted from a POS terminal to the lottery control system after reading of the POS code and the activation code of the lottery card by the POS terminal and after completing a purchase transaction of the lottery card using the POS code at the POS terminal; the lottery control system and the lottery cards being arranged such that, prior to receipt of the activation code from a lottery card by the lottery control system, the lottery card is not associated in the lottery control system with any of the outcomes in the pool of outcomes; in response to the receipt of the activation code by the lottery control system, selecting from the predetermined pool of instant win lottery outcomes one of the lottery outcomes as a selected outcome and associating the activation code with the selected outcome; the lottery control system operating to display to the customer on said digital experience said selected outcome as a digital experience game mechanic; wherein the lottery control system is arranged such that the displayed information on the digital experience comprises the predetermined game outcome and a reveal/skip button which allows the customer to determine the information without participating in the game mechanic; and wherein the lottery control system provides only with the digital experience game mechanic and thus not on the lottery card, a validation code which is arranged to be stored on the internet communication device of the customer; and wherein the validation of the prize determined by the selected outcome is carried out by displaying the validation code from the digital experience game mechanic on the internet communication device to a lottery terminal.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the access code is arranged to be manually entered.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the access code is appended to a URL provided in a QR Code image.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the lottery control system is arranged such that the lottery cards are entered into inventory for payment by a retailer to the lottery only when the activation code is activated via a purchase.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the lottery control system is arranged such that the lottery tickets are entered into inventory for payment by a retailer to the lottery when the lottery ticket is supplied to the retailer.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the lottery control system operates to assign the game outcome to the lottery cards in the following way: the POS system transmits the activation code and retailer data payload to the lottery control system; the activation code is scrubbed through a number of security measures by the lottery control system to ensure it is valid; a predetermined outcome in the form of a validation code from the reserved pool is assigned to the transmitted activation code by the lottery control system; the lottery control System returns the validation code to the POS System; the POS system transmits the validation code returned to the lottery control system to be made active for redemption; the lottery control system returns a response to the POS System confirming successful activation of that validation code.

17. A method for managing a lottery distribution of lottery funds to customers in a lottery comprising: providing a lottery control system comprising at least one programmed computer; providing a plurality of lottery cards each comprising a substrate and each having printed thereon: a Point of Sale (POS) code by which the lottery card is scanned through a POS system for purchase of the lottery card by a customer of the customers; a unique activation code which is scanned for entry of data identifying the lottery card into the lottery control system; and an access code which is used for entry by the customer into a digital experience provided by the lottery control system on a communication platform accessible by an internet communication device operated by the customer; providing in the lottery control system a predetermined pool of instant win lottery outcomes containing both winners of a predetermined prize and non-winners of the lottery; the lottery control system being arranged to receive the unique activation code of a lottery card when transmitted from a POS terminal to the lottery control system after reading of the POS code and the activation code of the lottery card by the POS terminal and after completing a purchase transaction of the lottery card using the POS code at the POS terminal; the lottery control system and the lottery cards being arranged such that, prior to receipt of the activation code from a lottery card by the lottery control system, the lottery card is not associated in the lottery control system with any of the outcomes in the pool of outcomes; in response to the receipt of the activation code by the lottery control system, selecting from the predetermined pool of instant win lottery outcomes one of the lottery outcomes as a selected outcome and associating the activation code with the selected outcome; the lottery control system operating to display to the customer on said digital experience said selected outcome as a digital experience game mechanic; wherein the lottery control system is arranged to display on the digital experience game mechanic unconnected to the lottery for fun play only in response to the access code when the activation code has not been scanned.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the lottery control system provides only with the digital experience game mechanic and thus not on the lottery card, a validation code which is arranged to be stored on the internet communication device of the customer; and wherein the validation of the prize determined by the selected outcome is carried out by displaying the validation code from the digital experience game mechanic on the internet communication device to a lottery terminal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus according to the present invention for controlling the operation of a lottery and the dispensing of funds to customers of the lottery.

(3) FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the steps described hereinafter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) The apparatus for dispensing funds to customers in a lottery shown in FIG. 1 includes a lottery control system 10, a plurality of lottery tickets 12, a plurality of lottery cards 14, a POS terminal 16 and a lottery redemption terminal 18.

(5) The lottery control system includes a production control component 101 and a lottery management control component 102. These operate together and share required information to carry out the functions defined herein. These use programing 103 and 104 and data bases or memories 105, 106. These can be operated to generate data reports 107 and 108 all as described herein.

(6) The data base 105 of the production component is arranged to generate for a lottery a set of outcomes which winning prizes of different values and non-winners. These are divided by the established programing into a prize set 109 to be used for the lottery tickets and into a pool 110 to be used for the lottery cards as described hereinbefore.

(7) The plurality of lottery tickets 12 includes a printed set of tickets 13 where each ticket 133 is printed on a substrate 134 and has a front surface 131 and a rear surface 132. On the front surface of the substrate is provided a conventional game ticket including game symbols 135 printed on the substrate and one or more removable coverings 136 over the game symbols which are removable by a customer to reveal the symbols. On the rear surface is provided a first code 137 for the POS terminal and a second code 138 for the activation system.

(8) Each lottery ticket is printed by the production control component and is associated in the lottery control system with a predetermined result of the lottery by which the lottery ticket is either a winner of a predetermined prize or a non-winner of the lottery as identified to the customer by revealing the symbols.

(9) The plurality of lottery cards 14 each comprise a substrate 141 with a front face 142 and a rear face 143. Each of the lottery cards has printed thereon a Point of Sale (POS) code 144 by which the lottery card is scanned through a POS system for purchase of the lottery card by a customer. Each of the lottery cards has printed thereon a unique activation code 145 which is scanned for entry of data identifying the lottery card into the lottery control system.

(10) The activation code is arranged by the control system so that it contains no information which identifies the lottery card as either a winner of a predetermined prize or a non-winner of the lottery.

(11) Each of the lottery cards has printed on a surface a method to access a URL, for example a QR code, which is used for entry by the customer into a digital experience 112 provided by the lottery control system by which the customer accesses game information. The customer uses a terminal 111 typically a smart phone to access the digital experience 112 generated by the control system.

(12) Each of the lottery cards has on either surface no game symbols which identify the lottery card as either a winner of a predetermined prize or a non-winner of the lottery to the customer. It may contain a fun game as a separate matter unconnected with the lottery.

(13) The lottery control system 10 operates to receive the activation code 145 and to provide in response a validation code transmitted to the POS terminal as indicated at 147 which contains information defining a result which identifies the lottery card as either a winner of a predetermined prize or a non-winner of the lottery. This result is obtained by assigning the result from the remaining pool 110 containing the plurality of options for results separated from the total prize allocation previously determined.

(14) The lottery control system 10 operates to display to the customer on the display 111 the information from the digital experience 112. In response to receipt of the validation code entered by the customer from the information provided by the POS terminal, the web sire 112 displays to the customer at the terminal 111 lottery ticket information, typically in the form of game symbols, defining the result as to whether the lottery card is either a winner of a predetermined prize or a non-winner of the lottery.

(15) The system 10 may be a single networked computer, or a series of interconnected computers having access to the communications network via a gateway or other known networking system. Generally, the system 10 is configured to communicate with, manage, execute and control individual lottery terminal units 101, 102 within the lottery jurisdiction. The system 10 may include a memory 105, 106 for storing gaming procedures and routines, a microprocessor (MP) for executing the stored programs, a random access memory (RAM) and an input/output (I/O) bus. These devices may be multiplexed together via a common bus, or may each be directly connected via dedicated communications lines, depending on the needs of the system 10.

(16) FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the steps described above.

(17) Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.