Instant Scratch-Off Lottery Ticket with Luminescent Security Marker

Abstract

A scratch-off lottery ticket and associated production method are provided wherein a primer material is applied as a dried layer to a front face of a ticket substrate. Game play indicia is printed on the primer layer in a designated game play area, and a scratch-off layer is applied over the game play indicia. The primer layer includes a particulate luminescent material homogeneously dispersed throughout, wherein the particulate luminescent material has a particle size and additive amount relative to the primer layer such that the particulate luminescent material does not add processing or material drying time to application of the primer layer. Fraudulent attempts to remove the scratch-off layer to reveal the underlying play indicia are rendered optically apparent by luminescence of the particulate luminescent material upon subsequent excitation of the play area with an excitation source.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A scratch-off lottery ticket, comprising:
 a substrate having a front face and a back face;   a primer material applied as a dried layer over the front face, the primer layer comprising particulates having a size between 7 and 12 microns;   game play indicia printed on the primer layer in a designated game play area;   a scratch-off layer disposed over the game play indicia in the play area; and   the primer layer further comprises a particulate luminescent material homogeneously dispersed throughout, the particulate luminescent material having a particle size between 7 and 12 microns and additive amount of between 1.8 to 2.2% solids level of the primer layer, wherein the particulate luminescent particle size and additive amount are selected such that the particulate luminescent material does not add processing or material drying time to the primer layer as compared to the primer layer without the particulate luminescent material; and   wherein attempts to remove the scratch-off layer to reveal the underlying play indicia are rendered optically apparent by luminescence of the particulate luminescent material upon subsequent excitation of the play area with an excitation source.   
     
     
         17 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 16 , wherein the particulate luminescent material is added to the primer material as an aqueous solution prior to printing the primer layer onto the substrate, wherein upon drying, the luminescent particles are homogeneously dispersed through the primer layer. 
     
     
         18 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 17 , wherein the aqueous solution is added at between 1% to 5% by volume of the primer material. 
     
     
         19 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 18 , wherein the primer layer is applied by one of a flexo plate, gravure cylinder, rollers, screen, or litho plate printing method. 
     
     
         20 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 16 , further comprising a blocking layer between the substrate and the primer layer. 
     
     
         21 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 16 , further comprising a release layer applied over the game play indicia below the scratch-off layer. 
     
     
         22 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 21 , further comprising a blocking layer between the release layer and the scratch-off layer. 
     
     
         23 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 16 , further comprising one or more additional primer layers applied over the substrate beneath the game play indicia, each of the primer layers containing the particulate luminescent material. 
     
     
         24 . The lottery ticket as in  claim 16 , further comprising the particulate luminescent material mixed with an additional material layer above the primer layers that is visible upon exposing the top face of the lottery ticket to an excitation source. 
     
     
         25 . A method for producing lottery tickets in a continuous printing press, comprising:
 supplying a continuous substrate through the printing press, the substrate having a front face and a back face;   printing one or more primer material layers onto the front face, wherein the primer material includes a particulate luminescent material homogeneously dispersed throughout, the particulate luminescent material having a particle size between  7  and  12  microns and additive amount of between 1.8 to 2.2% solids level of the primer layer, wherein the particulate luminescent particle size and additive amount are selected such that the particulate luminescent material does not add processing or material drying time to the primer layer as compared to the primer layer without the particulate luminescent material;   printing game play indicia onto an upper one of the primer material layers in a game play area of the ticket;   printing a release layer over the game play indicia; and   printing one or more scratch-off material layers over the game play indicia.   
     
     
         26 . The method as in  claim 25 , wherein the particulate luminescent material is added to the primer material as an aqueous solution prior to printing the primer layer onto the substrate, wherein upon drying, the luminescent particles are homogeneously dispersed through the primer layer. 
     
     
         27 . The method as in  claim 26 , wherein the aqueous solution is added at between 1% to 5% by volume of the primer material.