Pre-paid game cards and lottery tickets providing access to online electronic games

Abstract

A ticket or game card contains information such as a number, code or password by which a player accesses an electronic wager game on a web site using a computer. The ticket is associated with some quantum of credit (non-cashable or cashable) which the player uses to play turns of the game. The game has a pay table that includes losing results, intermediate results in which the player wins additional non-cashable resources (such as additional spins or additional non-cashable credit) and winning results in which the player wins credit redeemable for cash. The winning results can be directly converted to cash on a one to one basis, or converted to cash value by means of a second pay table. The systems and methods can be used to implement a lottery in which case the ticket is a lottery ticket. Alternatively, a player purchases the card and then proceeds to play at a land-based or online casino.

1 . A method for managing access to a wager game, comprising:
 providing a facility for issuing a ticket to a player in exchange for value, the ticket containing information for use in providing the player with access to an electronic wager game using a computing device functioning as a gaming terminal,   wherein the ticket is further associated with non-cashable resources with which the player may play one or more turns of play of the electronic wager game.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 providing a server receiving a datagram from the gaming terminal associated with the player, the datagram containing the information contained in the ticket and responsively granting access to the electronic wager game.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ticket comprises a lottery ticket. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ticket is in electronic form. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step of providing in the wager game a pay table associated with a turn of play of the electronic wager game in which the player makes a wager using the non-cashable resources associated with the ticket, and wherein the pay table includes outcomes for each turn of play of the game of at least three types:
 1) a first type of outcome in which the player loses their wager on that turn of the game;   2) a second type of outcome in which the player wins additional non-cashable resources with which to play additional turns of the electronic wager game; and   3) a third type of outcome in which the player wins a credit which is redeemable for money either directly or through use of a second pay table.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
 providing a client application for generating displays on a display on the gaming terminal, the client application of the electronic wager game on a gaming terminal used by the player, wherein the displays includes a display comprising at least one of the following elements:   1) a first element displaying the current balance of credit, if any, won in accordance with the third type of outcome in previous turn of play of the electronic wager game; and   2) a second element displaying the non-cashable resources, if any, which were won on the previous turn of the game in accordance with the second type of outcome.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the display further includes an additional element comprising a display of the total amount of remaining non-cashable credit available to the player. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the credit redeemable for money is available to the player immediately after an outcome of the third kind occurs. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the information is used to provide access to an electronic wager game played over a computer network, and wherein the non-cashable resources are useable to play turns of a plurality of different electronic wager games over the computer network, and wherein each of the different electronic wager games has a pay table having the first, second and third types of outcomes as recited in  claim 5 . 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the electronic wager games is selected from the group of games consisting of a slots-type game, a roulette-type game, and a poker-type game. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-cashable resources comprises a resource selected from the group of resources consisting of a) a predetermined number of turns of play of the electronic wager game with a fixed wager amount per turn of play and b) a predetermined quantity of non-cashable credit available for play in which the wager amount per turn of play is not fixed. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the credit, if any, won by a player in accordance the third type of outcome in the pay table is convertible into money by means of a second pay table. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the non-cashable resources are useable to play turns of a plurality of different electronic wager games, wherein each of the different electronic wager games have a pay table having the first, second and third types of outcomes as recited in  claim 5 , and wherein each of the plurality of different electronic wager games has a different second pay table for converting credit won by a player in accordance with the third type of outcome into money. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the non-cashable resources are useable to play turns of a plurality of different electronic wager games, wherein each of the different electronic wager games have a pay table having the first, second and third types of outcomes as recited in  claim 5 , and wherein each of the plurality of different electronic wager games uses the same second pay table for converting credit won by a player in accordance with the third type of outcome into money. 
   
   
       15 . A method for managing access to a wager game, comprising:
 providing a facility for issuing a ticket to a player in exchange for value, the ticket containing information for use in providing the player with access to an electronic wager game using a computing device functioning as a gaming terminal,   wherein the ticket is further associated with cashable resources with which the player may play one or more instances of the electronic wager game.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the player may not withdraw the cashable resources for money until a predetermined playthrough requirement has been achieved. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the predetermined playthrough requirement is met when the player has lost at least half of the cashable resources associated with the ticket. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the predetermined playthrough requirement P is determined as C multiplied by V/M, where C is a number between 0.1 and 1.0, V comprises the value exchanged for the ticket and M comprises the game margin for the electronic wager game. 
   
   
       19 . Gaming apparatus comprising a memory storing data for processing by a gaming terminal, the improvement comprising:
 the memory storing an electronic file containing data representing a pay table for an electronic wager game for display on the display of the gaming terminal, wherein the pay table includes outcomes for each turn of play of the game of at least three types:
 1) a first type of outcome in which the player loses their wager on that instance of the game; 
 2) a second type of outcome in which the player wins non-cashable resources with which to play additional turns of the electronic wager game in a normal mode of play of the game; and 
 3) a third type of outcome in which the player wins a credit which is redeemable for money, either directly or through a second pay table. 
   
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the memory further stores a client application for display on the gaming terminal, wherein the display includes at least one of the following elements:
 1) an element displaying the current balance of credit, if any, won in accordance with the third type of outcome in previous turn of play of the electronic wager game; and   2) an element displaying the non-cashable resources, if any, which were won on the previous turn of the game in accordance with the second type of outcome.   
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the display further includes an additional element comprising a display of the total amount of remaining non-cashable credit available to the player. 
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the electronic wager game comprises a game selected from the group of games consisting of a slots-type game, a roulette-type game, and a poker-type game. 
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the gaming terminal comprises a general purpose computer. 
   
   
       24 . A system for administering a lottery, comprising, in combination:
 one or more facilities for issuing a ticket to a player in exchange for value, the ticket containing information for use in providing the player with access to an electronic wager game using an electronic gaming terminal over a computer network, wherein the ticket is further associated with non-cashable resources with which the player may play one or more instances of the electronic wager game;   a web server receiving a datagram from the electronic gaming terminal containing the information contained on the ticket and thereby providing access to the electronic wager game; and   a gaming server in communication over a computer network with the web server and the electronic gaming terminal generating datagrams associated with results of play of turns of the electronic wager game and sending the datagrams to the electronic gaming terminals.   
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the one or more facilities issue physical lottery tickets containing the information. 
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the one or more facilities comprises a computer generating an electronic ticket containing the information. 
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the web server provides access to an electronic wager game having a pay table associated with a turn of play of the electronic wager game in which the player makes a wager of the non-cashable resources associated with the ticket, and wherein the pay table includes outcomes for each turn of play of the game of at least three types:
 1) a first type of outcome in which the player loses their wager on that turn of the game;   2) a second type of outcome in which the player wins additional non-cashable resources with which to play additional turns of the electronic wager game; and   3) a third type of outcome in which the player wins a credit which is redeemable for money either directly or through use of a second pay table.   
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the web server provides a facility for downloading a client application to the electronic gaming terminal, the client application including code for generating a display on the gaming terminal containing at least one of the following elements:
 1) an element displaying the current balance of credit, if any, won in accordance with the third type of outcome in previous turn of play of the electronic wager game; and   2) an element displaying the non-cashable resources, if any, which were won in the previous turn of the game in accordance with the second type of outcome.   
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the display further includes an additional element comprising a display of the total amount of remaining non-cashable credit available to the player. 
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the credit redeemable for money is available to the player immediately after an outcome of the third kind occurs. 
   
   
       31 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the web server provides access to a plurality of different electronic wager games and wherein the non-cashable resources are useable to play turns of play of the plurality of different electronic wager games, and wherein each of the different electronic wager games has a pay table having the first, second and third types of outcomes as recited in  claim 27 . 
   
   
       32 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein at least one of the electronic wager games is selected from the group of games consisting of a slots-type game, a roulette-type game, and a poker-type game. 
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the non-cashable resources comprises a resource selected from the group of resources consisting of a) a predetermined number of turns of play of the electronic wager game with a fixed wager amount per turn of play and b) a predetermined quantity of non-cashable credit available for play in which the wager amount per turn of play is not fixed. 
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the credit, if any, won by a player in accordance the third type of outcome in the pay table is convertible into money by means of a second pay table. 
   
   
       35 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the non-cashable resources are useable to play turns of a plurality of different electronic wager games, wherein each of the different electronic wager games have a pay table having the first, second and third types of outcomes as recited in  claim 27 , and wherein each of the plurality of different electronic wager games has a different second pay table for converting credit won by a player in accordance with the third type of outcome into money. 
   
   
       36 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the non-cashable resources are useable to play turns of a plurality of different electronic wager games, wherein each of the different electronic wager games have a pay table having the first, second and third types of outcomes as recited in  claim 27 , and wherein each of the plurality of different electronic wager games uses the same second pay table for converting credit won by a player in accordance with the third type of outcome into money. 
   
   
       37 . A gaming system comprising:
 one or more electronic gaming devices for play of an electronic wager game, the wager game having a pay table,   a facility for issuing a ticket to a player containing an amount of non-cashable resources for use in playing the wager game in exchange for value; and   wherein the wager game is associated with a pay table which includes outcomes for each turn of play of the game of at least three types, the turns of play comprising turns of play using the non-cashable resources:
 1) a first type of outcome in which the player loses their wager on that turn of the game; 
 2) a second type of outcome in which the player wins additional non-cashable resources with which to play additional turns of the electronic wager game; and 
 3) a third type of outcome in which the player wins a credit which is redeemable for money either directly or through use of a second pay table. 
   
   
   
       38 . The gaming system of  claim 37 , wherein the gaming terminal includes a display having at least one of the following elements:
 1) an element displaying the current balance of credit, if any, won in accordance with the third type of outcome in previous turn of play of the electronic wager game; and   2) an element displaying the non-cashable resources, if any, which were won in the previous turn of the game in accordance with the second type of outcome.   
   
   
       39 . The gaming system of  claim 38 , wherein the display further includes an additional element comprising a display of the total amount of remaining non-cashable credit available to the player. 
   
   
       40 . The gaming system of  claim 37 , wherein the credit redeemable for money is available to the player immediately after an outcome of the third kind occurs. 
   
   
       41 . The gaming system of  claim 37 , wherein the gaming terminal accesses a plurality of different electronic wager games and wherein the non-cashable resources are useable to play turns of play of the plurality of different electronic wager games, and wherein each of the different electronic wager games has a pay table having the first, second and third types of outcomes as recited in  claim 37 . 
   
   
       42 . The gaming system of  claim 37 , wherein at least one of the electronic wager games is selected from the group of games consisting of a slots-type game, a roulette-type game, and a poker-type game. 
   
   
       43 . The gaming system of  claim 37 , wherein the non-cashable resources comprises a resource selected from the group of resources consisting of a) a predetermined number of turns of play of the electronic wager game with a fixed wager amount per turn of play and b) a predetermined quantity of non-cashable credit available for play in which the wager amount per turn of play is not fixed. 
   
   
       44 . The gaming system of  claim 37 , wherein the gaming system is incorporated into a casino. 
   
   
       45 . A gaming ticket, comprising:
 a field on the ticket containing information for use in providing the player with access to an electronic wager game using a computing device functioning as a gaming terminal,   wherein the ticket is further associated with resources with which the player may play one or more turns of play of the electronic wager game.   
   
   
       46 . The ticket of  claim 45 , wherein the ticket is embodied in a lottery ticket. 
   
   
       47 . The ticket of  claim 45 , wherein the ticket is a scratch-type ticket and wherein the information is revealed upon scratching a covering obscuring the information. 
   
   
       48 . The ticket of  claim 45 , wherein the ticket comprises an electronic ticket. 
   
   
       49 . The ticket of  claim 45 , wherein the resources are non-cashable. 
   
   
       50 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein each ticket issued from the one or more facilities is further identified in the system as either a winning ticket or a losing ticket in advance of any play by a player holding such ticket, and in the event that the ticket is identified in the system as a winning ticket the gaming server generates results of turns of play which are winning results and in the event that the ticket is identified in the system as a losing ticket the gaming server generates results of turns of play which are losing results. 
   
   
       51 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein in the event that the ticket is identified in the system as a winning ticket the winning results are randomly selected from a pool of winning results. 
   
   
       52 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein in the event that the ticket is identified in the system as a winning ticket the gaming server selects winning results according to a predetermined prize distribution schedule for such ticket.