Patent ID: 7780526

Claim:
A gaming machine configured for accepting a wager, playing a game based on the wager and granting a payout based on the result of the game, comprising: an exterior housing arranged to contain a plurality of internal gaming machine components therein; a master gaming controller in communication with at least one of said plurality of internal gaming machine components and configured to control one or more aspects of said game; at least one link configured to connect said gaming machine to a plurality of disparate gaming systems or at least one gateway thereto, said at least one link permitting data to be transmitted between said gaming machine and each of said plurality of disparate gaming systems, a gaming system of the plurality of disparate gaming systems configured to provide services to the gaming machine selected from the group consisting of cashless services, loyalty program services, auditing/accounting services, web-hosting/internet services, entertainment content services, communication services, gaming software services, bonus game/linked game services, prize services, progressive game services, tax services, harm minimization services, security services, and jackpot verification services; and a player identification device in communication with said master gaming controller and said at least one link, located within, about or in proximity to said exterior housing and configured to accept a universal indicia of identification from a player, wherein said player identification device is configured to: facilitate protocol mediation between said gaming machine and the software of each of said plurality of disparate gaming systems, facilitate hardware mediation between said gaming machine and the hardware of each of said plurality of disparate gaming systems, facilitate eligibility mediation with respect to said player and to said gaming machine being eligible to receive one or more services from said plurality of disparate gaming systems, facilitate the ability of said player to log in to more than one of said plurality of disparate gaming systems for a gaming session at said gaming machine via a single transaction using said universal indicia of identification by said player, and allow access to only a subset of said plurality of disparate gaming systems for said player based on identification of said player, wherein at least a portion of said subset of disparate gaming systems available to said player is determined as a result of an affirmative selection of services or features by said player, wherein said subset is fewer than the entirety of said plurality of disparate gaming systems.