Method and an apparatus for promoting a product or brand

A method of promoting customer loyalty to a retail store or chain of stores comprising the steps of analysing data determined at a point of sale relating to purchases by a customer, e.g. data from a barcode scanner, to determine whether the customer has purchased a predetermined article or an article having a predetermined value or articles having a total value equal to or exceeding a predetermined value and, if this is the case, entitling the customer to participate in a prize/bonus ticket game configured as a game of chance, conducting a game of chance based on a predetermined win table having a specified number of predetermined winning numbers each associated with a bonus or prize and a further number of no win stops, i.e. numbers which are not winning numbers and, in the case of a win, issuing to the customer a ticket which is a winning ticket entitling the customer to a bonus or prize.

A ticket dispenser, for example for use in connection with a game of chance, comprising a housing, a space within said housing for receiving a pack of tickets in any form, e.g. in fanfold form or in roll form, a dispensing mechanism for dispensing single tickets taken from said pack of tickets, an electronic control associated with the dispenser comprising stored information relating to said game of chance, a ticket reader for reading identification information stored on said tickets, means for comparing said information with identifying information stored in said electronic control to check whether the pack of tickets is a valid pack and/or whether each ticket is a valid ticket and means for inhibiting said dispensing mechanism if said pack of tickets and/or an individual ticket is not a valid pack of tickets or a valid individual ticket respectively.