Patent ID: 7865393

Claim:
A method for providing awards in the form of access to one or more predetermined Internet-based services or sites for which access is otherwise restricted, wherein first and second codes are provided to a user, at least the second code including a set of icons, comprising: receiving at an Internet host site a plurality of icons from the set of icons presented on a display of a machine connected to the Internet host site; receiving at the Internet host site the first provided code inputted via the machine; receiving at the Internet host site one presented icon after another in an order that corresponds to that of the second provided code; testing each of the first and second codes to determine whether they are valid; if the first and second codes are determined to be valid, providing access to at least one of said predetermined Internet-based services or sites; and marking at least the second codes in response to the access providing step at the Internet host site to thereby render the second code is useable only once to provide access to said predetermined Internet-based services or sites.