Systems and Methods for Redeeming Tickets for On-Line Lotteries and On-Line Games

Abstract

An on-line lottery player can create a player account with a lottery operator and associate on-line lottery tickets with the player account. The player may access the player account and obtain results for the tickets. The player may select one or more winning tickets and create a prize redemption voucher for the selected tickets. Prizes won on all of the selected tickets can be redeemed by scanning or otherwise processing the prize redemption voucher at a ticket vending terminal. Similarly, a player may purchase on-line game tickets and redeem prizes won on the on-line game tickets using a prize redemption voucher.

1 . A method of redeeming a ticket, the method comprising:
 creating a player account for a player;   associating a plurality of tickets with the player account;   identifying some of the tickets as winning tickets;   issuing a prize redemption voucher containing a prize redemption voucher code, wherein one or more winning tickets are associated with the prize redemption voucher;   receiving, from a ticket vending terminal, the prize redemption voucher code; and   authorizing redemption of the winning tickets in response to receiving the prize redemption voucher code.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein authorizing redemption of the winning tickets includes identifying the winning tickets as redeemed. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein authorizing redemption of the winning ticket includes determining if the winning tickets can be redeemed. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  further including:
 providing the player with access to a ticket checking service by:
 displaying information about one or more ticket associated with the player account, including one or more winning tickets; 
 allowing the player to select one or more of the displayed winning tickets; and 
   associating the selected winning tickets with the prize redemption voucher.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the ticket checking service is provided to the player at a player terminal. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein providing the ticket checking service includes:
 displaying an account summary report that includes information about a plurality of tickets associated with the account; and   allowing the player to select winning tickets from the account summary report.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein issuing a prize redemption voucher includes:
 displaying information about one or more of the winning tickets to the player;   allowing the player to select one or more of the winning tickets;   issuing the prize redemption voucher, wherein the selected winning tickets are associated with the prize redemption voucher.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  further including:
 selling a plurality of tickets to the player, wherein at least some of the tickets are sold by:
 recording information about a ticket purchase voucher, wherein the recorded information includes a ticket purchase voucher code and information about one or more proposed tickets; 
 issuing the ticket purchase voucher to the player; 
 receiving the ticket purchase voucher code from a ticket vending terminal; 
 issuing each of the proposed tickets and associating each of the issued tickets with the player account. 
   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein further including:
 providing a form of the ticket purchase voucher code suitable for recording in a portable player terminal;   at a ticket vending terminal, receiving the ticket purchase voucher code from the portable player terminal; and   receiving the ticket purchase voucher code from the portable player terminal.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein further including:
 providing a form of the ticket purchase voucher code suitable for display on a portable player terminal;   at a ticket vending terminal, scanning the ticket purchase voucher code from a display of the portable player terminal; and   receiving the ticket purchase voucher code from the portable player terminal.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1  further including:
 selling a plurality of tickets to the player, wherein at least some of the tickets are sold by:
 issuing an account identification device to the player; 
 receiving a ticket purchase request from a ticket vending terminal, wherein the ticket purchase request includes a device identifier corresponding to the account identification device; and 
 issuing a ticket in response to the ticket purchase request. 
   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1  further including:
 selling a plurality of tickets to the player, wherein at least some of the tickets are sold by:
 providing the player with access to a ticket purchase web page; 
 allowing the player to select options for a ticket; and 
 issuing the ticket to the player. 
   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the tickets are on-line lottery tickets. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the tickets are on-line game tickets. 
   
   
       15 . A method of redeeming a ticket, the method comprising:
 receiving a prize redemption voucher from a player;   scanning a prize redemption voucher code on the prize redemption voucher using a ticket vending terminal, wherein the ticket vending terminal is adapted to transmit a prize redemption voucher redemption request to a lottery computer system;   receiving a redemption confirmation message from the lottery computer system; and   giving the player prizes associated with one or more winning tickets associated with the prize redemption voucher.   
   
   
       16 . A system for redeeming tickets comprising:
 a lottery computer system having:
 a lottery database for:
 storing information about a plurality of player accounts; 
 storing information about a plurality of tickets, wherein at least some of the tickets are associated with some of the player accounts; and 
 storing information about one or more ticket redemption vouchers, wherein one or more of the tickets is associated with each ticket redemption voucher. 
 
   
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the lottery computer system further includes
 a player account server for receiving prize redemption voucher requests and for recording information about new prize redemption vouchers to the lottery database.   
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the lottery computer system further includes:
 a ticket server for receiving prize redemption voucher redemption requests from a ticket vending terminal and for transmitting redemption confirmation messages to the ticket vending terminal in response to the prize redemption voucher redemption requests.   
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the ticket server is adapted to mark tickets associated with a particular prize redemption voucher as redeemed in conjunction with transmitting a redemption confirmation message in relation to the particular prize redemption voucher. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the lottery computer system further includes:
 a plurality of ticket vending terminals coupled to the lottery computer system, wherein at least some of the ticket vending terminals are adapted to scan a prize redemption voucher code from a prize redemption voucher and to transmit a prize redemption voucher redemption request corresponding to the prize redemption voucher to the ticket server.