Patent ID: 8676685

Claim:
A system, comprising: a player identification input device configured to receive player identification data from an account access medium having player identification information stored thereon; a plurality of gaming terminals, each gaming terminal comprising: at least one input mechanism for receiving cash or an indicia of credit for a wager to play a wager based game; and at least one output mechanism for outputting cash or an indicia of credit; and a financial server configured to communicate with the plurality of gaming terminals via a communication network, the financial server having associated memory for storing data files corresponding to players' personal accounts and identifiable with player identification data from said player identification input device, the data files including information regarding finances available for use by players for wagering games, the financial server further configured to communicate with a bank or other financial institution; wherein the system is configured to permit a player, via at least one of the gaming terminals, to access at least one data file associated with the player and stored on the financial server using the player identification data, and to open a new player personal account, merge existing player personal accounts into a single player personal account, change an account type of an existing player personal account, and close out an existing player personal account.