A system for use in or with lottery games (including pull-tabs and the like) is disclosed, which provides a new prize award structure. Lottery prizes are issued as certificates, redeemable only for merchandise (not cash). Certificates may be set to any level desired by a lottery operator. Certificates are enabled to be multi-leveled, having a hierarchical and value relationship between levels. Certificates may also be issued as partial certificates, requiring accumulation until they are traded in for a full certificate; partial certificates cannot be used for merchandise redemption directly. Certificates are redeemed for merchandise at physical locations or on-line. Certificates provide the flexibility to be awarded as prizes for heretofore too-frequent events, such as matching only a single ball out of six, greatly enhancing player satisfaction and involvement in lottery and lottery-style games.