Patent ID: 8429229

Claim:
A system for providing gaming related services to a first EGM and to a second EGM, comprising: a first multipurpose EGM/player tracking device being coupled with the first EGM using a first communications protocol over a first communications link; a first middleware server computer being coupled to the first multipurpose EGM/player tracking device using a system communications protocol through a first system communications link; a second multipurpose EGM/player tracking device being coupled with the second EGM using a second communications protocol over a second communications link, the first and second communications protocol being different; a second middleware server computer being coupled to the second multipurpose EGM/player tracking device using the system communications protocol through a second system communications link; and, a multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database server computer connected to the first and second middleware server computers for providing gaming services to users of the first EGM through the first multipurpose EGM/player tracking device and the first middleware server and to users of the second EGM through the second multipurpose EGM/player tracking device and the second middleware server, respectively, wherein each of the first and the second multipurpose EGM/player tracking devices has an associated IP address, the multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database server having a first table associated with the first middleware server, the IP address of the first multipurpose EGM/player tracking device being stored within the first table, the multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database server having a second table associated with the second middleware server, the IP address of the second multipurpose EGM/player tracking device being stored within the second table, the multipurpose EGM/player tracking services database for allowing the first EGM and the first multipurpose EGM/player tracking device to be disconnected from the first middleware server and to be connected to the second middleware server with the first IP address being deleted from the first table and stored in the second table.