METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING PLAY OF FRACTIONAL VALUE LOTTERY GAMES
According to one embodiment, a method is provided for redeeming a game entry. The method includes steps of determining a wager amount that is associated with a winning game entry, determining a proportional share based on the wager amount, and determining a prize share amount based on the proportional share. The method may further include providing the prize share amount to a holder of the winning game entry. In some alternative embodiments, a prize for a winning game entry may be a non-monetary benefit.
1 . A method comprising:
receiving from a customer a request to purchase a lottery ticket in exchange for a purchase amount that is less than one dollar;
generating a combination of characters at random, the combination comprising:
a first alphanumeric character,
a second alphanumeric character,
a third alphanumeric character,
a fourth alphanumeric character,
a fifth alphanumeric character, and
a sixth alphanumeric character;
printing a lottery ticket, the lottery ticket including:
an indication of the combination of characters,
an indication of the purchase amount,
an indication of a draw date, and
a signature line;
providing the lottery ticket to the customer in exchange for the purchase amount;
determining a set of lottery tickets purchased for a day's drawing,
in which each lottery ticket is associated with a respective purchase amount and a respective combination of characters,
the set of lottery tickets including the lottery ticket of the customer;
determining a prize amount based on the respective purchase amounts;
drawing a first winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
drawing a second winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
drawing a third winning lottery ticket from the set of lottery tickets;
determining a total cost based on a purchase amount of the first winning lottery ticket, a purchase amount of the second winning lottery ticket, and a purchase amount of the third winning lottery ticket;
receiving an indication of the combination of characters of the lottery ticket that was provided to the customer;
determining whether the combination of characters is the same as the respective combination of characters associated with the first winning lottery ticket; and
determining a share of the prize amount based on the purchase amount of the first winning lottery ticket and the total cost.
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