US Patent 7322885 Lottery game tickets as prizes in games of chance

A system and method of increasing player interest in gaming machines is disclosed by the use of lottery tickets as prizes. Lottery ticket purchasing pools are funded from either coin-in (wagers), coin-out (winnings), or in networked gaming systems from player tracking funding (promotional funding). The lottery ticket funding pools build value to a predetermined level, and then individual game machines' printers are issued instructions to print lottery tickets (or vouchers redeemable for lottery tickets) to players. This enables an alternative to traditional progressives while providing similar player interest and excitement while using fewer casino resources than traditional progressives.