Patent ID: 8517811

Claim:
A method of playing a lottery game by a plurality of players, the method comprising: providing a series of physical lottery tickets arranged to be sold to the plurality of players for dispensing of lottery funds to the plurality of players, wherein each of the plurality of physical lottery tickets having game data printed thereon and covered by a covering that can be removed to expose the game data, and wherein each of the plurality of physical lottery tickets are instant win tickets in which the game data, when exposed by removing the covering, provides a game status which is either a winning status with a prize or a losing status; providing a first computer-based apparatus, at a retail location, configured to validate and redeem one or more of the physical lottery tickets having a winning status, the first computer based apparatus having access to a database that contains validation data associated with all of the physical lottery tickets having a winning status to facilitate said validation and redemption; providing a second computer-based apparatus that maintains a website related to the lottery game; enabling at least one of the plurality of players to access the website by scanning material printed on at least one of the plurality of physical lottery tickets using a camera module of a personal communication device, thereby generating information defining the website; enabling direct communication between the personal communication device and the website in order to communicate additional game data from the website to the personal communication device; enabling at least one of the plurality of players accessing the website to register on the website, thereby defining the at least one player as a registered player, so as to create a database of multiple registered players; creating, by the second computer-based apparatus, a plurality of groups, each of the groups including two or more of the multiple registered players; providing on the website, via the second computer-based apparatus, a second chance game to be played together by players who are members of a selected one of the plurality of groups, the second chance game being associated with a second chance prize; sharing the second chance prize, upon winning in the second chance game, with two or more of the registered players associated with selected group; and enabling communication of received information communication from one or more registered players with one or more other registered players of a common group of the plurality of groups, wherein at least some of the received information being communicated when the personal communication devices of the one or more registered players are not in said direct communication with the website, and said received information being communicated through a medium different from said direct communication with the website.