Abstract:
A gaming system ( 10 ) produces a multiple-play physical pull tab ticket ( 50 ) at the request of a player. Each chance in the game is associated with a game play record which has been produced and stored in the system prior to the sale of the physical game ticket ( 50 ). A player in the game selects a number of game play outcomes or plays to be purchased and the gaming system ( 10 ) responds to the request by producing and distributing to the player a pull tab ticket ( 50 ) having the requested number of game play outcomes ( 56 ) printed or otherwise formed on a ticket substrate. The game play outcomes ( 56 ) are chosen at random from the game play records which were produced prior to the start of the game. The pull tab game tickets ( 50 ) may be purchased through a previously funded account and winnings may be applied to the account as well. Game play information specifying the outcomes of each game play printed on the game ticket may be printed or otherwise encoded on the game ticket ( 50 ). A player terminal ( 30 ) may read this game play information using a suitable scanning device and may then display the results of the plays to the player. The game play results may be displayed through appropriate player interaction to imitate a non-pull tab game, especially a casino type game.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is related to U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 60/242,497, filed Oct. 23, 2001 and entitled “Cashless Gaming System With Printed Game Ticket.” The Applicants hereby claim the benefit of this provisional patent application under 35 U.S.C. §119(e). The entire content of this provisional application is incorporated herein by this reference. 
     
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an electronic gaming system utilizing a physical game ticket to distribute chances or outcomes in the game. The invention includes a gaming method and program product, and also includes a gaming system for implementing the gaming method.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Among the various games of chance available in many jurisdictions is a game referred to as “pull tab.” The traditional pull tab game is played with a large number of physical tickets or cards manufactured before the start of the game. Each pull tab ticket is printed with several symbols or indicia arranged in some identifiable pattern. The printed indicia are initially covered or obscured by some material such as a removable paper sheet or tab, or a scratch off material. The pattern of indicia printed on the cards is correlated to an outcome in the game and the pull tab tickets themselves represent game play records. Some of the pull tab tickets in a given pull tab game are printed with a pattern of indicia that correlates to some prize or winning outcome whereas some tickets are printed with a pattern of indicia correlating to no prize. In order to participate in the game, players purchase the preprinted pull tab tickets at a gaming establishment, remove the ticket cover material, and then read the uncovered indica pattern to determine if the ticket wins in a prize. Winning tickets may be redeemed at the gaming establishment.  
           [0004]    Although traditional pull tab is a popular game, the game is played fairly slowly. Each pull tab ticket representing a single chance in the game must be purchased and the player must physically remove the cover material to determine if the respective ticket is a winning ticket. Also, traditional pull tab is limited in that the results of a chance in the game are displayed only through the indicia printed on the pull tab ticket. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,980,385 and 5,941,771, for example, show electronic pull tab systems that attempt to overcome some of the problems associated with traditional pull tab games. These electronic pull tab gaming systems provide an electronic display for displaying results which are also printed on the pull tab ticket. Although these electronic pull tab gaming systems may show the results of a purchased pull tab ticket in a more animated and thus more interesting and exciting manner than is possible using a physical ticket alone, these prior systems are still limited as to the rate at which the game may be played.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object the invention to provide a gaming method and gaming system that overcome the deficiencies associated with prior electronic pull tab gaming systems. More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a gaming method and gaming system that maintains the essential characteristics of a pull tab game while allowing rapid play in a secure and verifiable environment.  
           [0006]    These objects are accomplished in the present gaming system by producing a multiple-play physical pull tab ticket at the request of a player. Each chance in the game or game play outcome is associated with a game play record which has been produced and stored electronically in the system prior to the sale of the physical game ticket. A player in the game selects a number of game play outcomes or plays to be purchased and the gaming system responds to the request by producing and distributing to the player a pull tab ticket having the requested number of game play outcomes applied on a ticket substrate in the form of some directly identifiable or readable indicia. The game play outcomes are chosen at random from the game play records which were produced prior to the start of the game. This randomization may be accomplished by selecting ordered game play records at random or by randomizing an ordered set of game play records and selecting game play records sequentially from the randomized set.  
           [0007]    Each game play ticket is also preferably printed or encoded with machine readable game play information. This game play information specifies each game play outcome represented on the ticket. That is, the game play information specifies whether each game play outcome is a losing outcome or a winning outcome, and also specifies any prize associated with a winning outcome. This information on each game play outcome may be specified directly or indirectly in the game play information encoded on the game ticket. Whether the information on each game play outcome is directly or indirectly specified in the game play information encoded on the game ticket, the encoded game play information may be read from the game ticket at a player terminal or other device to show the results of the game ticket. In particular, the results of the game ticket may be provided or displayed to the player at a player terminal which employs some animated display. The player terminal reads the game play information from the game ticket and then waits for the player to enter play requests. Each play request represents a request for the player terminal to display another game play outcome which has been printed on the player&#39;s game ticket. Each such request also represents a redemption request in the preferred account-based system as described further below. Alternatively to providing the results of the game ticket one game play outcome at a time at a player terminal, the preferred gaming system also provides point of sale terminals which can read the game play information from the ticket and show the player the cumulative effect of the various game play outcomes represented on the game ticket. Obtaining ticket results at a point of sale terminal represents an alternate redemption request in the preferred account-based system. Of course, since the game is a pull tab game, the player may also simply read the indicia representing the game play outcomes directly from the game ticket and match those outcomes to a prize table to determine the results of the game ticket.  
           [0008]    One advantage of the present gaming method and system is the manner in which the outcome may be displayed at a player terminal. Although the gaming system utilizes a printed pull tab ticket, the player terminal display used to portray the game play outcomes to the player is not limited to displays simply showing the pull tab ticket. Rather, the player terminal displays may be designed to imitate other types of games, including traditional casino games. This ability to imitate other games combined with the ability to apply many game play outcomes or plays on a single game ticket facilitates rapid play in a manner that enhances player interest and excitement.  
           [0009]    One preferred form of the gaming system according to the invention utilizes player accounts to facilitate game ticket purchases and apply winnings. Once a player sets up and appropriately funds their account, the player need only request a game ticket and specify a quantity of game play outcomes to be obtained. If the player account has sufficient funds to pay for the number of game play outcomes requested, the system produces the ticket with the requested game play outcome quantity, and then issues the newly created pull tab ticket to the player. Thus, both the purchase of the game ticket and the application or distribution of winnings may be cashless transactions relying on the previously created player account. Using player accounts further increases the rate at which the game may be played and provides further flexibility in imitating other games. The cashless or account-based system also provides enhanced security for the players and provides excellent fraud protection for the gaming establishment.  
           [0010]    These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, considered along with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a gaming system embodying the principles of the invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the point-of-sale terminal and player terminal included in the present gaming system.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3A is a diagrammatic representation of one side of a game ticket according to the invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3B is a diagrammatic representation of the opposite side of the game ticket shown in FIG. 3A.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing process steps associated with the operation of the point-of-sale terminals.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing process steps associated with the operation of the player terminals.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing process steps associated with the operation of the central computers. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    Referring to FIG. 1, a gaming system  10  embodying the principles of the invention includes a back office system  11  located in a secure area and a casino floor system  12  that is accessible to the public. Casino floor system  12  allows players to establish and modify accounts in gaming system  10  and allows players to participate in various games available through the gaming system. Back office system  11  maintains accounts and account balances for all players, maintains account information, and provides system usage reports and other reports useful in managing gaming system  10 . Back office system  11  also preferably creates gamesets made up of a number of predetermined game records and selects game records in response to player requests made through casino floor system  12 .  
         [0019]    A secure communications arrangement is used to facilitate communications between back office system  11  and casino floor system  12 . Security may be enhanced with hardware firewalls  14  connected in the communications lines  15   a  and  15   b  which extend to casino floor system  12  and/or by firewall software operating on the various computers that make up back office system  11 .  
         [0020]    Back office system  11  includes a number of separate processing devices interconnected through a suitable communications arrangement. In the illustrated form of the system, back office system  11  comprises a local area network of individual processing devices and includes a switching hub  18  to which each separate processing device connects. The two floor system communication links  15   a  and  15   b  also connect into switching hub  18 . Although other types of computer network communications hubs may be used within the scope of the invention, a switching hub is preferred to allow the various system components to communicate simultaneously with fewer conflicts and thus with increased overall system performance.  
         [0021]    The illustrated preferred form of the invention shown in FIG. 1 includes a manufacturing computer  20 , a database computer  21 , a management computer  22 , an archive computer  23 , and two separate central computers  24  and  25 . Manufacturing computer  20  manufactures gamesets, divides the gamesets into a number of subsets, and stores the unused subsets until requested by one of the central computers  24  or  25 . Manufacturing computer  20  also receives used subsets back from the various central computers and, once all of the subsets are used, stores the used gameset at archive computer  23 . The structure of the gamesets as well as the structure of individual game records in the gamesets and subsets will be discussed further below.  
         [0022]    Each central computer  24  and  25  is programmed to communicate with a particular group of casino floor devices. FIG. 1 shows two separate groups of casino floor devices, group  27  and group  28 , for purposes of example. Central computer  24  is programmed to communicate with each of the casino floor devices in group  27 , while central computer  25  is programmed to communicate with each of the casino floor devices in group  28 .  
         [0023]    Each central computer  24  and  25  stores subsets of game records from manufacturing computer  20  for use by the casino floor devices as described below. Each central computer also receives information from the various casino floor devices in the respective group and stores this information in the database computer  21 . For example, central computer  24  receives requests from devices in group  27  to open a player account, add funds to a player account, and withdraw funds from a player account. Central computer  24  also receives requests for game records or plays from devices in group  27  and sends game record information to devices in the group.  
         [0024]    The multiple central computer arrangement shown in FIG. 1 provides several advantages. First, in the event that one of the central computers  24  or  25  experiences a technical problem which prevents it from operating properly, only a single group of casino floor devices is affected. Second, the multiple central computer arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is readily scalable to increase or decrease the number of casino floor devices supported by the system. Furthermore, the multiple central computer arrangement allows faster communications with the casino floor devices and therefore increases the speed at which a player may play games offered through gaming system  10 .  
         [0025]    Database computer  21  serves as a data storage repository for holding all player records and system usage information. Database computer  21  stores in its associated memory a player account table having entries corresponding to the various player accounts. The player account information includes, for example, the player&#39;s name, the player&#39;s account identifier or number, in some cases a personal identification number for the player, and perhaps other player information personal to the particular player. The database computer may also collect and store usage information indicating the casino floor devices that each player has used and the extent of use. A data storage device associated with database computer  21  may also be used to store ticket identifiers for the various game tickets made according to the invention and a set of ticket data. The sets of ticket data are correlated to the respective ticket identifiers and define the game records and/or game play outcomes assigned to the respective game tickets as described further below.  
         [0026]    Numerous different database structures will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in database development and application. The invention encompasses any suitable database structure for maintaining the player information, ticket information, and other information used in the operation of gaming system  10 .  
         [0027]    Management computer  22  operates under the control of management software to provide system reports including real-time reports and system usage and performance reports of interest to the system operators, managers, or regulators. The software executed at management computer  22  also may be used to schedule administrative functions required or helpful for the database computer system  21 . Management computer  22  may include a suitable display for providing a user interface and for displaying reports and other information. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a printer may also be included in the back office portion of the network or may be connected directly to management computer  22  for printing system reports and usage records.  
         [0028]    Once manufacturing computer  20  receives all of the game subsets back from the central computers  24  and  25  for a given gameset, the manufacturing computer sends the entire used gameset to archive computer  23 . Archive computer  23  serves as a repository for used gamesets. Archive computer  23  is also preferably used to store a copy of each complete unused gameset as well. The unused gamesets may be copied from manufacturing computer  20  immediately after they are created. These unused gameset copies and used games sets may be archived or stored in any suitable fashion in a nonvolatile memory device or storage device associated with the archive computer  23 .  
         [0029]    Referring now to the casino floor devices shown in FIG. 1, each group  27  and  28  includes a number of player terminals  30  and a point-of-sale or cashier terminal (POS)  31 , all connected to a local area network communications hub  32 . Although not shown in the figure, each group may also include one or more remote point-of-sale (RPOS) terminals, and one or more kiosks also connected to the communications hub  32 . The communications hub  32  of each casino floor group is connected to switching hub  18  of the back office system  11  through one of the communications lines  15   a  or  15   b.    
         [0030]    As shown in FIG. 2, each player terminal  30  includes a computer system having a processor  34 , touch screen display  35 , a two-button control panel  36  (call attendant and play buttons), a player card reader  37 , and a game ticket reader  38 . Player terminal software or program code executed by processor  31  receives information from player card reader  37  to log a player into the respective central computer ( 24  or  25 ), and to operate the game ticket reader  38  to read the player&#39;s game ticket. The player terminal program code also causes display  35  to show graphic game representations indicating the results of game play. According the illustrated account-based form of the invention, each game play has been previously purchased by the player using a POS terminal or other device included in the casino floor system  12 . Further information on the operation of the player terminals will be described below of reference to FIG. 5.  
         [0031]    The POS terminal  31  shown in FIG. 2, enables a player to open an account with the gaming system, add funds to their account, close or cash out their account, purchase game tickets, and redeem or provide results for game tickets. POS terminal  31  comprises a computer system having a processor  40  and a player/cashier interface including a player card reader  41 , player card printer/encoder  42 , a receipt printer  43 , keypad  44 , game ticket printer/encoder/dispenser (game ticket dispenser)  45 , and a game ticket reader/verifier  46 . POS terminal  31  also includes a cash drawer  47  which is accessible by a POS cashier or attendant. Processor  40  included in POS terminal  31  executes operational software or program code to perform the steps shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0032]    Each game ticket  50  in the illustrated form of the invention includes a ticket substrate having a printed side shown in FIG. 3A and a magnetic stripe side shown in FIG. 3B. Each ticket contains a number of ticket indicia, each representative of a game play outcome (pull tab). These game play outcomes are purchased in a quantity at the discretion of the player and each game play outcome is associated with one of the predetermined game records produced at manufacturing computer  20 . The printed side of the ticket shown in FIG. 3A preferably includes the game name  51 , ticket identifier or serial number  52 , casino name  53 , price of the ticket  54 , a play quantity comprising a value equal to the number of outcomes purchased  55 , a player account number  58 , and the printed ticket indicia representing the game play outcomes. The illustrated ticket indicia are printed in the form of a sequential list of prize indexes or result codes  56 . These preferred prize indexes or result codes  56  are selected from a set of available codes listed in a prize table for the indicated game. Regardless of their specific form, the ticket indicia are directly identifiable, that is, identifiable to the player without the aid of any decoding machine. Although all of the information printed on the game ticket may be printed at the POS terminal, some forms of the invention may use partially preprinted tickets and print at the POS terminals only information which is specific to the particular game ticket such as the prize indexes or indicia  56 .  
         [0033]    The magnetic stripe side of ticket  50  includes a stripe of magnetic data storage medium  57  which is preferably encoded at a POS terminal  31  with machine readable game play information which specifies the game play outcomes printed on the game ticket and preferably identifies the game plays or records assigned to the game ticket. In one embodiment of the gaming system, the game play information includes the game serial number, the starting game record identifier identifying the starting game record purchased by the player, and the number of game play outcomes purchased. This starting game record identifier plus the number of game play outcomes/game records in the gameset sequence (a randomized game record sequence) after the starting record effectively specifies each game record and thus each game play outcome represented on the given game ticket. In an alternate embodiment, the game play information includes a ticket serial number or identifier which relates to a ticket data table or set of ticket data stored in the database computer  21  or elsewhere in the back office system  11 . This set of ticket data specifies or identifies each game play outcome associated with the respective game ticket and preferably each assigned game record itself. Still other alternatives of the game ticket  50  may include the prize indexes or result codes from the purchased game records themselves encoded in some machine readable fashion on the magnetic medium  57 .  
         [0034]    The ticket indicia, which in the illustrated case comprise indexes or result codes  56 , printed on the printed side of ticket  50  and perhaps other information on the printed side of the ticket may be covered with some material when the ticket is initially dispensed. The material may be a covering which may be scratched off to reveal the ticket indicia  56  or may be a sheet of material which may be peeled off to reveal the ticket indicia. This covering may not be required under the applicable gaming regulations, and may be omitted as desired.  
         [0035]    Each gameset preferably produced at manufacturing computer  20  comprises a data structure including header information identifying the gameset and perhaps the game or games with which the gameset is associated. In addition to the header information, each gameset data structure includes a number of game records, each representing a chance in the particular game. Each game record itself comprises a data structure including a game record identifier and a game record or game play outcome. The game record identifier uniquely identifies each record in a gameset, and the game play outcome indicates whether the record is a winning or losing record. In the preferred form of the invention each game play outcome comprises the result index or result code discussed above with reference to the game tickets  50 . Other information may also be included in the game records, such as for example, sequence information to identify the record&#39;s sequence in the gameset and prize amount information.  
         [0036]    Operation of the Gaming System  
         [0037]    When a player opens an account in the gaming system, they receive their player card and preferably set a personal identification number (PIN) for the account. Player information including the player&#39;s name, their account identifier or number, and PIN are stored in back office system  11 , and specifically in a player account table stored in a data storage device associated with database computer  21 . The player&#39;s account identifier is encoded on the player card so that account access may be initiated by swiping the card through an appropriate reader such as the player terminal card reader  37 .  
         [0038]    If the player has sufficient funds in their account with gaming system  10 , they may purchase one or more game tickets  50  at a POS terminal  31  shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. For each game ticket, the player purchases a desired number of game play outcomes or game plays for the desired game. The game ticket dispenser  45  associated with the POS terminal prints the appropriate information including the ticket indicia on the printed side of the game ticket under the control of ticket production program code executed at the POS terminal. The encoding device associated with game ticket dispenser  45  also encodes the game play information on the game ticket, preferably on the magnetic stripe of the game ticket. The number of plays to be purchased (and printed/encoded on the ticket) is left to the discretion of the player. Depending upon the type of ticket indicia used to represent the game play outcomes and the physical size of the ticket, the player may choose from one play up to  220  or more plays on each game ticket  50 .  
         [0039]    It will be appreciated that once the game ticket is issued to the player, the ticket indicia (in this case result codes or result indexes) are plainly visible on the ticket, or if a covering material is used as described above, plainly visible after the covering material is removed. The player can go to a published prize table to look up the meaning of the printed codes in terms of the prizes available for the purchased game play outcomes/game records. However, the player has two further options in addition to manually looking up the meaning of the printed ticket indicia. One of these options is to take the issued game ticket to a POS terminal  31  to have the game ticket read by the game ticket reader  46  associated with the terminal. In this case POS terminal  31  communicates with the central computer  24  or  25  servicing that POS terminal in order to obtain the results of the game plays printed on the game ticket.  
         [0040]    The other option for revealing the results of the purchased game plays is to take the purchased game ticket to a player terminal to allow the player terminal to reveal the results of the purchased game plays or game play outcomes. The results may be revealed at the player terminal in a fashion to mimic or imitate casino games such as various types of slot machines, draw poker, blackjack, or keno for example, or to mimic other types of games such as bingo. The player terminals  30  may be programmed to imitate one or perhaps several different types of games at the player&#39;s choice. A given game representation available to the players through a player terminal may be specific to a particular gameset and thus the ticket indicia (result codes/indexes) for plays from the gameset and game ticket printed with those indicia may be usable only at a terminal offering that given game or game representation. In some cases, however, the result codes/indexes for a gameset may apply to a number of different types of games. In this case the player may take their game ticket to play any one of the number of different types of games to display their game play results.  
         [0041]    In the preferred account-based system, even though the player has the option of manually looking up the result codes/indexes in a prize table, the ticket must be redeemed in order to update the player&#39;s account with any winnings associated with the game play outcomes represented on the ticket. A player may make a request to redeem their ticket either at a POS terminal  31  or a player terminal  30 . At a POS terminal  31  a player&#39;s request to obtain the results of their game ticket represents a ticket redemption request. At a player terminal  30 , the player&#39;s request to see the result of the next outcome represented on the game ticket represents a redemption request as to that outcome or game record. The entire ticket is redeemed at a player terminal  30  by requesting the result for each outcome (i.e., playing each chance on the ticket). In the case of redemption at a POS terminal  31 , the player&#39;s account is updated with the cumulative winnings for all outcomes represented on the game ticket. In the case of redemption at a player terminal  30  on the other hand, the winnings are applied to the player&#39;s account one outcome at a time as the outcomes are played or shown at the player terminal.  
         [0042]    System processes performed at or through a POS terminal may be described with reference to FIG. 4. The system hardware components referenced in the following discussion of the gaming system  10  are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 4, if the player does not have an account with the gaming system  10 , the player may open an account at a POS terminal  31 . The account creation process is performed according to player account program code executed at the POS terminal  31  and includes sending an account request from the POS terminal to the servicing central computer,  24  for example. As will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 6, the central computer returns an account identifier which is encoded onto a player&#39;s card at player card printer/encoder  42 . The player&#39;s account card is then issued as shown at  70 . The preferred system also prints an account opening receipt as shown at process block  71  using the printer  43  of the POS terminal. The player can then use the player card to log in at a player terminal  30  as will be discussed further below.  
         [0043]    If the player desires to close or cash out their account, POS terminal  31  communicates a cash out request to the central computer  24 . Central computer  24  responds with a message indicating the player&#39;s account balance. The cashier at the POS terminal  31  may then pay that cash balance to the player as indicated at process block  73  and print a cash out receipt at block  74  using receipt printer  43 .  
         [0044]    If the player desires to purchase a game ticket at POS terminal  31 , the POS terminal operates under the control of ticket request program code executed at the POS terminal to communicate the player&#39;s account identifier to the central computer and waits for a response indicating whether the player has sufficient funds in their account for the desired number of plays (each play having a certain purchase price). The determination as to the sufficiency of funds is performed under the control of account comparison program code preferably executed at the central computer  24  or  25  servicing the ticket request. If sufficient funds are not available, the player may give money to the cashier and this amount is entered at the POS terminal and communicated to the central computer to update the player&#39;s cash balance as shown at block  76 . Once the player has sufficient funds in their account to purchase the desired number of game plays or chances, POS terminal  31  communicates with the central computer as shown at process block  77  to receive the desired number of game play outcomes or results. The ticket indicia representing those game play outcomes identified by the central computer are then printed on the ticket substrate using game ticket dispenser  45  as shown at block  78  under the control of ticket production or printing program code. Also, game ticket dispenser  45  encodes game play information on the game ticket as indicated at process block  79 . This game play information encoding is performed under the control of ticket encoding program code executed at the POS terminal  31 . In addition to printing and encoding the game ticket, receipt printer  43  at the POS terminal  31  prints a receipt containing purchase information for the purchased game ticket as shown at block  80 . In the preferred form of the invention, a set of ticket data is created for each game ticket and stored in a data storage device such as the storage associated with database computer  21 . The set of ticket data identifies at least the game play outcomes on the ticket (and more preferably the specific game records assigned to the ticket) and is created and stored under the control of ticket database program code executed by one or more processors in gaming system  10 . This set of ticket data is identifiable or retrievable by, or correlated to, the ticket identifier preferably assigned to the respective game ticket. Regardless of how the game play information is encoded on the game ticket and the ticket indicia are applied to the ticket, the player&#39;s account is modified by deducting the cost of the game outcomes purchased by the player. This modification is performed under the control of account maintenance program code substantially concurrently with the production of the game ticket. The account maintenance program code may be executed by any suitable processing device or devices associated with gaming system  10 .  
         [0045]    Referring now to FIG. 5, the process at the player terminals  30  under the control of player terminal program code includes first logging into the central computer as shown at block  85 . In the preferred log in process, the player inserts their player card into the card reader  37  at player terminal  30 . This causes a communication to the central computer which causes the central computer to look up the player&#39;s account and then returns an indicator whether the account is valid or not. If the account is not valid, player terminal  30  displays a message as indicated at process block  86 , directing the player to a POS terminal  31  to open an account. However, if the player does have a valid account, the game ticket reader  38  activates at process block  87  and the player is prompted to insert the desired game ticket ( 50  in FIGS. 3A and 3B). Once the game ticket is inserted in game ticket reader  38 , the reader reads the magnetic stripe  57  on the back of the ticket and communicates with the central computer to verify the validity of the ticket as shown at process block  88 . The central computer may also at this stage respond to a verified ticket by communicating to the player terminal  30  the number of plays left on the ticket and the player&#39;s account balance. Both of these values are preferably displayed on the display  35  associated with player terminal  30 . Alternatively, the central computer returns only the account balance, and the remaining play information may be information encoded on the game ticket itself.  
         [0046]    After the number of plays remaining on the game ticket and the account balance are both displayed at the player terminal  30 , the player terminal waits for the player to enter a play request or input by pressing a play button or other actuating element associated with the player terminal. When the player makes the play request, the player terminal branches from decision box  89 , and at process block  90  uses information from the central computer (or read from the game ticket itself) to display the result of the next game play at the player terminal  30 . That play (record) number is also marked used or complete in the back office system records and the player&#39;s account is credited with any prize won as shown at process block  91 . In the preferred form of the invention, this step of marking the play or record number as complete includes modifying the set of ticket data to indicate that the respective game record has been used/redeemed. Once all game plays have been used, game ticket reader  38  at the player terminal confiscates the completely used ticket and the player may either insert another game ticket or log off the player terminal as indicated at process block  92 .  
         [0047]    As shown in FIG. 6, the central computer ( 24  or  25  shown in FIG. 1) is involved in creating an account, creating a game ticket, and displaying game ticket results at a player terminal  30 . The central computer is also involved in sending results to a requesting POS terminal  31  if the player takes the POS terminal option discussed above to obtain their game play results/redeem their game ticket. In creating an account, the central computer receives an account open request from a POS terminal  31  as shown at process block  100 . As indicated at process block  101  the central computer cooperates with the database computer  21  to assign a new account number and also creates an entry in the player account table in the database computer under that new account number. At process block  102  the central computer also sends the new account number back to the POS terminal  31  for use in encoding the player card for the new account.  
         [0048]    In creating game tickets  50  (FIGS. 3A and 3B), the central computer receives a request for a new game ticket from a POS terminal as shown at process block  105 . If after checking the player account table at database computer  21 , the central computer determines that the player has sufficient balance for the requested number of plays at decision block  106 , the central computer selects the desired number of game records or plays from the indicated game subset as shown at process block  107 . In the preferred implementation of the system, the central computer selects the game plays (records) sequentially from the randomized subset of game plays. Alternatively, the game plays may be selected randomly from a sequential list of game records. If the account contains insufficient funds for the requested number of plays, the central computer at process block  108  sends an indicator or message back to the POS terminal indicating that the player has insufficient funds for the requested plays.  
         [0049]    In the preferred form of the invention, central computer  24  or  25  (FIG. 1) requests a new game ticket serial number from the database computer  21  and the database computer responds by assigning a ticket serial number for the new game ticket being created as shown at process block  109 . The particular central computer also preferably causes the database computer  21  to create an entry in a game ticket table stored in the database computer  21 . This game ticket table entry or table comprises a set of ticket data and includes the assigned ticket serial number, and preferably all other relevant information regarding the new game ticket including the identifier for the game, the game play outcomes for the purchased game plays and/or the game records or identifiers for the game records, and the player&#39;s account number. As shown at process block  110 , the central computer also sends sufficient information to the POS terminal  31  to allow POS terminal game ticket dispenser  45  to print and encode the new game ticket. The preferred information for the game ticket is described above with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.  
         [0050]    In the course of game play at a player terminal  30 , the central computer receives a log in request from player terminal as indicated at process block  115  and, by looking up information stored in database computer  21 , determines whether the player has a valid account. If the player does not have a valid account as indicated at decision block  116 , the central computer at block  117  sends back an indicator which indicates to the player terminal that the player&#39;s account is not valid. If the player&#39;s account is valid, the central computer at process block  118  notifies the player terminal of the valid account and waits to receive the ticket serial number read at the game ticket reader  38  at the player terminal. Upon receipt of the ticket serial number at process block  119 , the central computer accesses the ticket table at database computer  21  to obtain information on the game ticket identified by the serial number. This ticket table access is shown at process block  120  in FIG. 6. The central computer then at process block  121  preferably sends a message back the player terminal with the player&#39;s account balance for display at the player terminal  31  and also the number of plays remaining on the ticket. The central computer then waits to receive play requests entered by the player at player terminal  30 . Upon receipt of a new play request at block  122 , the central computer at process block  123  sends the next outcome or result in the ticket table entry for the given ticket to the player terminal and causes the ticket table entry to be updated to indicate that the particular outcome has been used. The central computer performs this step for each game play request until the plays on the game ticket are exhausted. When all plays on a ticket are used as preferably indicated by the information maintained in the game ticket table, the respective central computer sends a confiscate ticket command to the player terminal from which the last play request was sent. The player terminal  30  responds to this command by directing the ticket reader  38  to confiscate the game ticket and preferably by causing the terminal display  35  to display a message informing the player that the last chance has been played and that a new game ticket is required in order to obtain further chances in the game.  
         [0051]    If the player takes the option of determining their game play results instantly at a POS terminal  31 , the central computer servicing the particular POS terminal receives an instant result determination or ticket redemption request from the POS terminal in the form of a suitable request code. In response to the request, the respective central computer communicates with database computer  21  to determine the game play results. The particular central computer then communicates the results back to the requesting POS terminal  31 . The results may be revealed one at a time or the results may be revealed as a cumulative total of all game play results for the given game ticket. In either case, the results are communicated by a suitable game ticket result device. In the preferred form of the invention, the results for the printed on a receipt provided by printer  43 , although other devices may communicate results to the player in some alternative fashion.  
         [0052]    Alternatively to the preferred form of the invention in which the central computer creates a game ticket table at the database computer  21 , all information regarding the game play outcomes may be encoded on the magnetic stripe or other data carrying media associated with the game ticket. In this case, the central computer may perform a verifying and/or account modification function rather than actually sending the game play outcomes to the player terminal. This verifying function would be performed either for the instant result determination request from a POS terminal or for a game play request from a player terminal  30 .  
         [0053]    The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit the scope of the invention. Various other embodiments and modifications to these preferred embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims. In particular, the various processing steps described above may be performed by any suitable processing device or devices included in the system. Also, although gaming system  10  is described as a local area network, the gaming system may be implemented as a wide area network with, for example, the back office system located remotely and service casino floor devices at a number of different physical locations.