Patent ID: 8282467

Claim:
A gaming system comprising a plurality of gaming consoles ( 72 , 74 ), wherein a first gaming console ( 72 ) is provided with a credit meter ( 15 ) for playable credits, a storage memory for non-playable credits, transfer means for transferring at least a portion of said playable credits to said storage memory storing said transferred credits as non-playable credits, and a ticket dispenser ( 30 ) for dispensing a ticket ( 39 ) containing information linking said ticket ( 39 ) to non-playable credits stored in said memory, a second gaming console ( 74 ) is provided with a credit meter ( 15 ) for playable credits, a ticket reader for reading said ticket ( 39 ) dispensed by said first gaming console ( 72 ) and transfer means for transferring non-playable credits stored in the storage memory of the first gaming console ( 72 ) to the credit meter ( 15 ) of the second gaming console ( 74 ) in accordance with the information on the ticket ( 39 ) read by the ticket reader of the second gaming console ( 74 ), said ticket dispenser ( 30 ) is adapted to dispense, when in a trigger condition, the ticket ( 39 ) with gaming console identification means for identifying the gaming console ( 72 ) dispensing the ticket ( 39 ), the gaming console ( 74 ) reading the ticket ( 39 ) with the ticket reader thereof includes means for identifying the gaming console ( 72 ) having printed the ticket ( 39 ) based upon said gaming console identification means of the ticket ( 39 ) and queries only the identified gaming console ( 72 ) as to validity of the ticket ( 39 ).