Patent ID: 8241111

Claim:
An award system, comprising: a bonus server coupled over a network to at least one ticket printer and to at least one ticket reader, said bonus server having stored thereon a trigger condition and an associated award scheme and adapted to send over the network to a first ticket printer of said at least one ticket printer a first print command responsive to detection of the trigger condition, said first ticket printer adapted to issue a first printed output responsive to the first print command including a first ticket identification code readable by said at least one ticket reader, the first printer output not including printed indicia reflecting a specific value of the first printed output but whereby the specific value of the first printed output is only associated with the first ticket identification code at said bonus server, said bonus server further comprising a first ticket reader configured to receive the first printed output and to apply credit to a gaming machine corresponding to said first ticket reader based on the first printed output, one of said first ticket printer and a second ticket printer of said at least one ticket printer configured to issue a second printed output responsive to a second print command, wherein the second printed output includes a second ticket identification code readable by said ticket readers, the second printed output not including printed indicia reflecting a specific value of the second printed output and wherein the specific value of the second printed output is only associated with the second ticket identification code at said bonus server, the specific value of the second printed output being awarded to a player upon ticket redemption at said ticket readers, the second printed output further including a plurality of numbers identifying prior gaming sessions the player has played whereby uploading the second printed output into a player database establishes a record of the player's gaming history, wherein the plurality of numbers on the second printed output identify the prior gaming sessions accessed from the first printed output.