3770:1-9-136 Game number one hundred thirty-six.

(A) Title and term. Ohio lottery commission game number one hundred thirty-six, “Joker Poker,” shall be conducted at such times and for such periods as the commission may determine. For the purpose of this rule, “sales cycle” shall mean any such period, including reprints, beginning on the date when ticket sales are commenced and continuing through the date established by the director as the date on which agents are to make their final settlement with respect to tickets allocated to them during the period in game number one hundred thirty-six.

(B) General design.

(1) Game number one hundred thirty-six is a “card” matching lottery game. The player must scratch off the “your hand” area to reveal five card symbols in any one or more or four different suits: “clubs,” “diamonds,” “hearts” and “spades.” Card symbols shall consist of one number or letter and one suit. “Aces” shall be considered as high cards. When all card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area match any one of the possible winning hand combinations displayed in the “prize grid” area, the player wins the corresponding prize value shown for that winning hand. A “joker” symbol revealed in the “your hand” area may be used to complete a winning hand that matches any one of the possible winning card combinations displayed in the “prize grid” area. Winning hands that include the “joker” symbol shall win double the prize amount shown for that hand in the “prize grid” area.

The “prize grid” area shall include the following winning hand combinations: “royal straight flush consisting of the ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit; “straight flush” consisting of five cards of consecutive value and of the same suit excluding a “royal straight flush;” “4 of a kind” consisting of four cards of the same value; “full house” consisting of three cards of the same value combined with a pair of two different cards of the same value; “flush” consisting of five cards of the same suit; “straight” consisting of five cards of consecutive value; “3 of a kind” consisting of three cards of the same value; “2 pair” consisting of two different pairs of cards with each pair containing two cards of the same value; and “1 pair” consisting of two cards of the same value.

(2) As used in this rule, “prize award” shall mean a free ticket of comparable price or one of the following monetary amounts which is the total of all winning prize values appearing on the ticket: Two dollars, five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars, forty dollars, one hundred dollars, two hundred dollars, one thousand dollars, two thousand dollars and eight thousand dollars. Each ticket in game number one hundred thirty-six shall be imprinted in such a way that prize awards from the set listed above may be won.

(C) Price of tickets. The price of a ticket issued by the commission in game number one hundred thirty-six shall be one dollar.

(D) Structure, nature and value of prize awards.

(1) There shall be one type of prize in game number one hundred thirty-six called a “regular prize award.”

(2) The only “prize values” which shall appear on a ticket in game number one hundred thirty-six are: Free “ticket,” two dollars, five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars, forty dollars, one hundred dollars, one thousand dollars and eight thousand dollars.

(a) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which two of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area are of the same value for “1 pair” shall win a regular prize award of a free “ticket” of comparable price;

(b) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which four of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area consist of two different pairs of cards with each pair containing two cards of the same value for “2 pair” shall win a regular prize award of two dollars;

(c) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which three of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area are three cards of the same value for “3 of a kind” shall win a regular prize award of five dollars;

(d) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which three of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area are two cards of the same value and one card is a “joker” for “3 of a kind” shall win five dollars doubled for a regular prize award of ten dollars;

(e) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area consist of five cards of consecutive value for a “straight” shall win a regular prize award of ten dollars;

(f) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area consist of four cards and a “joker” which when combined constitute five cards of consecutive value for a “straight” shall win ten dollars doubled for a regular prize award of twenty dollars;

(g) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area consist of five cards of the same suit for a “flush” shall win a regular prize award of twenty dollars;

(h) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area consist of four cards of the same suit and a “joker” for a “flush” shall win twenty dollars doubled for a regular prize award of forty dollars;

(i) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area consist of three cards of the same value combined with a pair of two different cards of the same value for a “full house” shall win a regular prize award of forty dollars;

(j) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which four of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area are four cards of the same value for “4 of a kind” shall win a regular prize award of one hundred dollars;

(k) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which four of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area are three cards of the same value and one card is a “joker” for “4 of a kind” shall win one hundred dollars doubled for a regular prize award of two hundred dollars;

(l) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area are five cards of consecutive value and of the same suit (excluding a combination of a ten, jack, king, queen and ace of the same suit) for a “straight flush” shall win a regular prize award of one thousand dollars;

(m) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area consist of four cards and a “joker” which when combined constitute five cards of consecutive value and of the same suit (excluding a combination of a ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit) for a “straight flush” shall win one thousand dollars doubled for a regular prize award of two thousand dollars; and

(n) Holder of a valid winning ticket on which all five of the card symbols revealed in the “your hand” area are the ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit for a “royal flush” shall win a regular prize award of eight thousand dollars;

(E) Number of prize awards. The number of prize awards in any sales cycle of game number one hundred thirty-six will depend upon the number of tickets sold during that cycle. Tickets shall be printed in accordance with this rule using random techniques in order that:

(1) Combinations winning each prize award are randomly distributed throughout all tickets printed in any given ticket issuance; and

(2) Mathematical reasoning indicates that the number of winning tickets sold per eight million tickets sold in the following categories will be as follows:

(a) Three tickets revealing a “royal flush” in “your hand” to win eight thousand dollars;

(b) Three tickets revealing a “joker” and four cards in “your hand” which combine as five cards of consecutive value and of the same suit for a “straight flush” to win two thousand dollars; and

(3) Mathematical reasoning indicates that over a sufficiently large number of tickets sold, and average number of winning tickets per five hundred thousand tickets sold will be as follows:

(a) Five tickets revealing a “joker” and three cards of the same value in “your hand” for “4 of a kind” to win two hundred dollars;

(b) Twenty tickets revealing “4 of a kind” in “your hand” to win one hundred dollars;

(d) Four hundred twelve tickets revealing a “joker” and four cards of the same suit in “your hand” for a “flush” to win forty dollars;

(e) One thousand two hundred fifty tickets revealing a “flush” in “your hand” to win twenty dollars;

(f) One thousand two hundred fifty tickets revealing a “joker” and four cards in “your hand” which combine as five cards of consecutive value for a “straight” to win twenty dollars;

(g) One thousand two hundred fifty tickets revealing a “straight” in “your hand” to win ten dollars;

(h) One thousand seven hundred fifty tickets revealing a “joker” and two cards of the same value in “your hand” for “3 of a kind” to win ten dollars;

(i) Seven thousand seven hundred fifty tickets revealing “3 of a kind” in “your hand” to win five dollars;

(j) Forty-five thousand five hundred tickets revealing “2 pairs” in “your hand” to win two dollars; and

(k) Fifty thousand two hundred fifty tickets revealing “1 pair” in “your hand” win a free “ticket” of comparable price.

(F) Frequency of prize drawings.

(1) Random imprinting of prize awards on all tickets issued in game number one hundred thirty-six shall be accomplished in a manner which complies with the commission’s rules and procedures.

(2) When a ticket issued in game number one hundred thirty-six is sold or deemed sold in accordance with this rule and the covering material over the numbers has been removed, the holder shall be deemed to have drawn the numbers on that ticket which determine whether the holder is entitled to a regular prize award. All regular prize awards shall be deemed announced no later than the last day of the sales cycle of game number one hundred thirty-six in which the ticket was sold.

(G) Special claim, entry, receipt and validation procedures. The director shall establish special claim, entry, receipt and validation procedures, including procedures for validation by agents of tickets winning prizes which are to be paid by agents in accordance with commission rules. Prize awards shall be claimed within the time limits set forth by commission rules.

(H) Validity of tickets.

(1) A mechanical error in printing prize awards, symbols, words or other numbers on a ticket shall not automatically invalidate that ticket. To the extent feasible, the director shall establish procedures by which the holder of any ticket on which information is incorrectly printed due to mechanical malfunction may be advised of correct information for the ticket. If it is not technically feasible to recover the information from a mechanically misprinted ticket, the director may declare the ticket void and the holder shall be entitled to a return of the ticket price or a replacement ticket of comparable price.

(2) In addition to, but not in limitation of, all other power and authority conferred on the director by the commission’s rules, the director may declare a ticket in game number one hundred thirty-six void if it is stolen, unissued, deactivated, not sold or deemed not sold in accordance with commission rules; if it is illegible, mutilated, altered, counterfeit, misregistered, reconstituted, miscut, defective, printed or produced in error or incomplete; or if the ticket fails any of the validation tests or procedures established by the director. The commission’s liability and responsibility for a ticket declared void, if any, is limited to refund of the retail sales price of the ticket or issuance of a replacement ticket of comparable price.

(I) Director’s conduct of game number one hundred thirty-six.

(1) The director shall conduct game number one hundred thirty-six in a manner consistent with the Lottery Act, the rules of the commission, including without limitation, this rule and the regulations of the director. As deemed necessary or advisable, the director shall adopt management regulations, orders or directives to implement and operate this lottery game. The director shall inform the public of the provisions of this rule and the procedures established pursuant hereto which affect the play of game number one hundred thirty-six.

(2) Names and definitions of elements of game number one hundred thirty-six used in this rule are to be considered generic terms used solely for purposes of this rule. In actual operation, game number one hundred thirty-six and these elements may be given names or titles chosen by the commission.

HISTORY: Eff 9-28-00

Rule promulgated under: RC 111.15

Rule authorized by: RC 3770.03

Rule amplifies: RC 3770.01 to 3770.08