Method and apparatus for conducting a game of chance

Abstract

A system and method are provided for playing a game of chance. The game of chance may include, for example, a lottery-type game. A result of the game of chance is revealed to a player in another medium. In one example, the result is revealed during multiple game instances of one or more online games. In one example, the online game includes a scrambled word game similar to the well-known game of JUMBLE.

1 . A method comprising acts of:
 issuing, at a point of sale terminal, a ticket having a ticket based game thereon to a player, the ticket including a code printed on a surface of the ticket, wherein an outcome of the ticket based game is stored in a database and not placed on the ticket;   providing for the player an interface of a host computer system to play a computer based game that is a different game than the ticket based game on a different medium than the issued ticket, wherein the code is used to gain security access to the computer based game and to reveal the outcome of the ticket based game from the database, wherein the computer based game includes a computer based scrambled word game having one or more scrambled words, and wherein the player descrambles the one or more scrambled words within the interface to reveal a result of the computer based game; and   displaying, during play of the computer based game, the outcome of the ticket based game to the player in the interface.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the act of issuing the ticket includes an act of issuing at least one of a lottery ticket, a scratch ticket, and a pull-tab ticket, and wherein the act of providing further comprises an act of providing the computer-based game which the player plays to reveal the results of the ticket based game. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the act of providing the computer-based game further comprises an act of permitting access to the outcome of the ticket based game by using the code as a decryption key to obtain the outcome. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an act of storing, on a server, the outcome of the ticket based game. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising storing, in a database of a computer system, a portion of a decryption key, the portion being used along with the code by the computer system to obtain the outcome of the ticket based game. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising an act of obtaining, from the database of the computer system, the portion of the decryption key based on an identifier printed on the ticket. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an act of presenting, to the player, the interface in which the player is permitted to enter the code to obtain security access to the results. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the scrambled word game is at least one of a JUMBLE-type game and a slot machine game. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 issuing the ticket further comprises:
 issuing the ticket wherein the ticket based game includes an overall prize value; and 
   displaying the outcome of the ticket based game to the player in the interface further comprises:
 displaying, during play of a plurality of game instances of the computer based game, the outcome of the ticket based game to the player in the interface, wherein at least one prize awarded in response to play of at least two of the plurality of game instances of the computer based game accumulates to form the overall prize value. 
   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the ticket discloses a number of game instances of the scrambled word game awarded to the player, and wherein a prize total for the ticket is predetermined. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 14 , further comprising an act of presenting the prize total as a sequence of reveals, wherein the sequence of reveals is at least one of predetermined, randomly determined by the player, and stored in a database of a server. 
     
     
         17 .- 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an act of revealing, to the player, an item associated with a second level game in response to play of the computer based game, wherein the item is used to play the second level game or to reveal a prize won by the player. 
     
     
         20 .- 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the item associated with the second level game is a letter associated with the scrambled word game, and wherein the method further comprises acts of:
 permitting the player, in the second level game, to select among a plurality of prize boxes;   upon selecting, by the player, a particular one of the plurality of prize boxes, displaying a letter to the player; and   awarding a prize to the player if the displayed letter matches the letter associated with the scrambled word game.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , further comprising an acts of:
 associating a set of letters in the scrambled word game with corresponding pay table entries in the second level game; and   displaying, upon the selection of the particular one of the plurality of prize boxes, a pay table entry associated with the displayed letter.   
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the displayed letter is predetermined. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the act of selecting the particular one of the plurality of prize boxes is independent of an act of determining what particular letter is displayed by an act of displaying. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the prize won by the player is at least one of cash, merchandise, and credit, and wherein an indication of the prize won by the player is stored in a database of a server, and is downloaded to a computer presenting the computer-based game to the player. 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an act of associating, with the ticket, additional opportunities to win that include one or more additional reveals of results associated with the ticket based game and that are presented during play of an online game. 
     
     
         30 .- 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an acts of:
 providing, by a first server associated with the ticket based game, a result associated with the ticket based game;   storing, in a memory of a computer system, the result associated with the ticket based game; and   associating the result with an indication of the ticket, wherein the indication of the ticket is unique among indicators of a plurality of tickets.   
     
     
         33 .- 35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 32 , wherein the first server further comprises a random number generator, and the random number generator performs an act of determining a set numbers associated with the issued ticket. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 32 , further comprising an act of determining a set of winning numbers associated with the ticket based game based on a comparison of a set of numbers associated with the issued ticket and the set of winning numbers. 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein the ticket based game includes at least one of a Keno game and a bingo game, and the act of determining the set of numbers associated with the issued ticket comprises an act of selecting a predetermined number or numbers from a predetermined set of numbers. 
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an act of permitting the player to redeem the issued ticket without playing the computer based game on the different medium. 
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the sequence of reveals is determined by one of a predetermined game script and dynamically by a game playing computer system. 
     
     
         42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . The method according to  claim 36 , further comprising an act of determining a predetermined game script where a magnitude of prizes awarded for reveals associated with later win opportunities are progressively greater than a magnitude of prizes associated with reveals associated with earlier win opportunities. 
     
     
         44 . The method according to  claim 36 , further comprising an act of determining, for an issued ticket indicated as a losing ticket, a game script comprising an indication that the player was substantially close to winning. 
     
     
         45 . The method according to  claim 32 , wherein the player must wait at least one of a predetermined time period before redeeming the ticket; and until a specific event has been completed before redeeming the ticket. 
     
     
         46 . (canceled) 
     
     
         47 . The method according to  claim 40 , wherein the player is permitted to redeem the ticket online to play one or more additional online games. 
     
     
         48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising an act of receiving an access code for playing the one or more additional online games, wherein the access code is transmitted electronically to the player. 
     
     
         50 . (canceled) 
     
     
         51 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the player must wait until a specific event has been completed before gaining access to obtain results associated with the ticket, wherein the issued ticket discloses a number of game instances awarded to the player, and wherein a prize total for the ticket is determined after the ticket is issued to the player. 
     
     
         52 .- 53 . (canceled) 
     
     
         54 . The method according to  claim 51 , further comprising acts of:
 determining the outcome associated with of the ticket based game based on a drawing; and   permitting the player to play the computer based game in response to the act of determining the outcome.   
     
     
         55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a prize total for the ticket is determined prior to issuing the ticket to the player. 
     
     
         57 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising an act of downloading a game program, the game program, when executed, renders an interface of the scrambled word game in an interface of a game-playing computer system. 
     
     
         58 .- 60 . (canceled) 
     
     
         61 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 subsequent to the act of issuing the ticket, determining the outcome of the ticket based game by a server that stored ticket information.