Game ticket with a related web site

Abstract

Lottery ticket games are enhanced by providing a web site related to the lottery game and by causing a purchaser or potential purchaser of a lottery ticket to take an image of a bar code related to the lottery game using a camera module of a personal communication device such as a cell phone for communication with the web site. Thus the bar code is analyzed to determine the web site and further data from the web site is communicated to the cell phone. The data may relate to the winning or losing status of the particular ticket, may include data for additional games or may be of a promotional nature. The data can also be provided on other material and may act as an incentive to the retailer rather than the purchaser.

1 . A method for playing a game comprising;
 providing a series of tickets for a game to be played by individual players of the tickets, each ticket containing game data by which the game can be played by the player;   wherein the game on the lottery ticket is an instant win game where the result obtained by the player by playing the game is predetermined on the ticket to provide to the player by playing the game a game status which is either a winning status or a losing status;   providing a computer defining a site related to the game;   each of the individual tickets having material printed thereon identifying at least the site related to the game;   analyzing the material from an image thereof taken by a player of the ticket associated therewith on a camera module of a personal communication device to generate information identifying at least the site related to the game;   when information defining the site and identifying the individual ticket is communicated to the computer, the computer enables communication between the personal communication device and the site in order to communicate data from the site to be transmitted to the personal communication device;   wherein the ticket and the site are arranged such that said data transmitted provides the game status.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the material on the individual ticket identifies both the site related to the game and the individual ticket itself. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the material on the ticket is contained in at least one bar code. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein there is provided for the tickets a data base of ticket validation information and wherein the data communicated from the site relates to the game status of the ticket obtained from the data base. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the winning status of the game status includes a prize and wherein said data transmitted includes the prize.