Patent ID: 8376835

Claim:
A gaming system configured to share resources between a plurality of gaming machines that are connected for communication, the gaming system comprising: one or more input devices for receiving player inputs; one or more display devices; one or more processors; a resource locator including resource information on available hardware resources; and one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to operate with the resource locator, the one or more input devices, and the one or more display devices to: receive an indication of a wager from a player initiating a wagering game on a first gaming machine of the plurality; display the wagering game on at least one of the one or more display devices; and prior to the player cashing out of the first gaming machine, (i) detect a request from the first gaming machine for a hardware resource residing in the first gaming machine to perform a function, (ii) determine that the requested resource is unavailable on the first gaming machine, (iii)search, via the resource locator, for the requested resource on at least one of the gaming system and the plurality of gaming machines, and (iv)in response to locating the requested resource on the gaming system or on a second gaming machine of the plurality, access the requested resource and perform the function via the resource on the gaming system or on the second gaming machine.