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Critics: Game targets children

Tuesday, March 4, 2003 | 11:13 a.m.

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- A new interactive lottery game that involves a computer game is being criticized, two days before it debuts.

Critics say the Connecticut Lottery Corp.'s animated computer game is aimed at children.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says the game comes very close to Internet gambling.

For Treasure Tower, players can use their computers to lead a cartoon character in a series of adventures in search of cash prizes. There is a one-in-260,000 chance of winning $25,000 in the game, which goes on sale Thursday.

The game's computer disk will be given out free when a customer buys a package of four instant scratch tickets for $15.

Each additional ticket cost $4 and permits game-play that lasts up to 20 minutes. Customers may choose to forego the CD and just scratch and turn in their ticket to see if it's a winner.

Diane Patterson, a lottery spokeswoman, denies the game was designed to appeal to children.

"We don't think that a child would really be interested in playing this game. If the parents are responsible and implement the controls, we feel this is a very safe game," Patterson said.

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