Gaming apparatus and method for providing enhanced player participation in lottery games

Abstract

An electronic player station displays to a player a player choice display that includes a number of representations. The number of representations are displayed to the player simultaneously and each representation is selectable in some fashion by the player; however, the representations preferably do not themselves provide any indication as to a correlated prize. Thus each representation embodies a player choice in the play of a game, but does not indicate a prize correlated to that player choice. A game result for the player choice is obtained from any one of a number of game play record pools that are simultaneously available through one or more data processing devices for supplying the game result. A player choice input is received through the player station and a result is displayed to the player. The player choice input identifies a selected one of the number of representations. The result displayed to the player is a result associated with an assigned game play record that has been assigned to the player in response to the player choice input.

1 . A method including:
 (a) through a player station, displaying to a player a player choice display that includes a number of representations, the number of representations being displayed to the player simultaneously and each representation being selectable by the player to embody a player choice in a game in which a game result is obtained from any one of a number of game play record pools that are simultaneously available through one or more processing devices for supplying the game result;   (b) receiving a player choice input initiated by the player through a player input arrangement of the player station, the player choice input identifying a selected one of the number of representations; and   (c) at the player station, displaying a result associated with an assigned game play record that has been assigned to the player in response to the player choice input, the assigned game play record having been assigned from a respective one of the game play record pools with which the selected one of the representations has been associated.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least two of the number of representations are associated with a first game play record pool so that when the selected one of the number of representations comprises one of the at least two of the number of representations, the assigned game play record that is assigned to the player in response to the player choice is assigned from the first game play record pool. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further including:
 (a) receiving an additional player choice input for the player choice display, the additional player choice input being entered through the player input arrangement of the player station and identifying an additional selected one of the number of representations; and   (b) in response to the additional player choice input, displaying through the player station a result associated with an additional game play record to the player, the additional game play record having been assigned from a respective one of the game play record pools with which the additional selected one of the representations has been associated.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of associating each representation with a respective pool of game play records prior to the player choice input. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further including displaying through the player station a result associated with a game play record contained within a different one of the game play record pools, the result associated with the game play record contained within the different one of the game play record pools comprising a result that the player would have received had the player choice input identified one of the number of representations other than the selected one of the number of representations. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a respective game play record is allocated from each of two or more different game play record pools of the number of game play record pools, the allocating being performed at the time the assigned game play record is assigned to the player or earlier in a game play sequence from displaying the player choice display to the time the assigned game play record is assigned to the player. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein at least one allocated game play record other than the assigned game play record is made available for assignment to a different player in a game play sequence initiated by the different player. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further including displaying through the player station a respective result for each respective representation during a game sequence from displaying the player choice display to the time the assigned game play record is assigned to the player and prior to the player choice input for that game sequence, each respective result being associated with a game play record contained within a different one of the game play record pools and comprising a result potentially available to the player for the player choice input for that game sequence. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus including:
 (a) a data storage device storing a number of game play record pools, each respective game play record pool including a respective number of game play records available for satisfying a player choice input entered by a player through a player input device, and each respective game play record pool being mapped to a respective representation of a number of different representations that are simultaneously displayed to the player, the player choice input identifying a selected one of the number of representations simultaneously displayed to the player; and   (b) a game play record assignment arrangement for assigning to the player a respective game play record from one of the game play record pools in response to the player choice input, the assigned game play record being assigned from the game play record pool to which the selected one of the representations is mapped.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein, for a game play sequence from the player choice input to the game play record assignment, each respective game play record pool is mapped to a respective one of the representations prior to the assignment of the respective game play record for the game play sequence. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein, for a game play sequence from the player choice input to the game play record assignment, at least two different game play record pools are mapped to a single one of the representations. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9  further including a game play record allocation arrangement which, for a game play sequence from the player choice input to the game play record assignment, changes a respective status indicator for one game play record in each game play record pool to indicate that the respective game play record is allocated for the respective game play sequence and is therefore unavailable for use in satisfying an additional player choice input. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  further including a game play record collection arrangement for making at least one allocated game play record available for response to a player choice input for a future game play sequence. 
     
     
         14 . A program product stored in a computer-readable medium, the program product including:
 (a) game play record storage program code executable for causing a number of game play record pools to be stored in data storage, each respective game play record pool including a respective number of game play records available for satisfying a player choice input entered by a player through a player input device, and each respective game play record pool being mapped to a respective representation of a number of different representations that are simultaneously displayed to the player, the player choice input identifying a selected one of the number of representations simultaneously displayed to the player; and   (b) record assignment program code executable for assigning to the player a respective game play record from one of the game play record pools in response to the player choice input, the assigned game play record being assigned from the game play record pool to which the selected one of the representations is mapped.   
     
     
         15 . The program product of  claim 14  wherein, for a game play sequence from the player choice input to the assignment of the respective game play record in response to the player choice input, each respective game play record pool is mapped to a respective one of the representations prior to the assignment of the respective game play record for the game play sequence. 
     
     
         16 . The program product of  claim 14  wherein, for a game play sequence from the player choice input to the assignment of the respective game play record in response to the player choice input, at least two different game play record pools are mapped to a single one of the representations. 
     
     
         17 . The program product of  claim 14  further including record allocation program code executable, for a game play sequence from the player choice input to the assignment of the respective game play record in response to the player choice input, for changing a respective status indicator for one game play record in each game play record pool to indicate that the respective game play record is allocated for the respective game play sequence and is therefore unavailable for use in satisfying an additional player choice input. 
     
     
         18 . The program product of  claim 17  further including record collection program code executable for making at least one allocated game play record available for response to a player choice input for a future game play sequence.