Patent ID: 6997803

Claim:
A gaming machine comprising: a housing; a plurality of gaming devices coupled to the housing including a shared gaming device; an input mechanism coupled to the housing configured for inputting cash or indicia of credit used for wagers on a game of chance played on the gaming machine; a master gaming controller designed to generate the game of chance played on the gaming machine and to execute simultaneously a first virtual gaming peripheral process, a second virtual gaming peripheral process, a shared gaming device manager process and logic for managing and distributing game events wherein the logic for managing and distributing game events is designed to receive the game events and to distribute the game events to at least the first virtual gaming peripheral process, the second virtual gaming peripheral process and the shared gaming device manager process; the first virtual gaming peripheral process designed to provide a first gaming service by controlling a first combination of the plurality of gaming devices, including a shared gaming device, to provide the first gaming service wherein the first virtual gaming peripheral process is operable to take control of the shared gaming device in response to receiving a first game event; the second virtual gaming peripheral process designed to provide a second gaming service by controlling a second combination of the plurality of gaming devices, including the shared gaming device, to provide the second gaming service wherein the second virtual gaming peripheral process is operable to take control of the shared gaming device in response to receiving a second game event; the shared gaming device adapted for control by the first virtual gaming peripheral process or the second virtual gaming peripheral process; and a shared gaming device manager process designed to determine when the first virtual gaming peripheral process and the second virtual gaming peripheral process want to control the at least one shared gaming device at the same time, which of the first virtual gaming peripheral process or the second virtual gaming peripheral process is allowed to control the shared gaming device and which of the first virtual gaming peripheral process or the second virtual gaming peripheral process is prevented from using the shared gaming device.