Patent ID: 8303418

Claim:
A method for controlling electronic gaming machines (EGMs) that permit wagering on games comprising the steps of: storing in memory a schedule of conditions to be implemented by one or more EGMs, the schedule comprising records where each record includes the identity of a first of the one or more EGMs, conditions to be implemented by the first EGM, dates on which the conditions are to be implemented, and start and end times defining an interval during which the implementation is to occur beginning at any time within the interval determined automatically by a controller; storing with each record a priority parameter that is entered for each record at the time the record is initially stored in memory; determining that at least first and second records are to be implemented on the same date such that a time overlap in servicing the implementation of first and second conditions associated with the first and second records would result; determining a serial time sequence of execution of conditions associated with the first and second records based on the respective stored priority parameters of each; and causing the execution of the conditions associated with the one of the first and second records with the highest associated stored priority parameter to begin first in accord with said sequence to avoid said time overlap, where the selection of the one of the first and second records to be first executed is not controlled by the respective start times associated with the first and second records, and where the execution begins at a time within the interval that is different from a time the execution would have begun had the time overlap not occurred.