Patent ID: 6889978

Claim:
A scratch-off type lottery ticket comprising a substrate having thereon: a) a first game area comprised of a plurality of target symbols comprising key symbols which are winning symbols and first non-key symbols which are non-winning symbols, said target symbols being covered by a removable opaque scratch-off layer wherein the number of target symbols is equal to the sum of the number of key symbols in the second game area and the number of second non-key symbols in the third game area; b) a second game area comprised of at least some of said key symbols preprinted on the substrate; and c) a third game area comprised of a preselected number of play areas, each play area consisting of a second non-key symbol which are non-winning symbols, which may be the same or different than the first non-key symbols and covered by a removable scratch-off layer, said scratch-off layer being removed from an individual play area each time a first non-key symbol is exposed in the first game area by removing the scratch-off layer therefrom; wherein the player exposes the target symbols from the first game area by removing the scratch-off layer and if the exposed target symbols provide all of the key symbols necessary to complete at least a predetermined portion of the second game area but not a number of first non-key symbols corresponding to the preselected number of play areas in the third game area, then a prize will be won.