Patent ID: 8876596

Claim:
A method of implementing a player tracking system on a gaming machine, the method comprising: detecting a card-in activation; upon detecting the card-in activation, requesting a virtual player tracking card PIN via a display screen of the gaming machine; receiving the virtual player tracking card PIN subsequent to requesting the virtual player tracking card PIN, wherein the virtual player tracking card PIN is associated with a player tracking account of an authorized patron and is useable to enable player tracked game play at the gaming machine and other gaming machines that are configured to receive the virtual player tracking card PIN and are associated with the player tracking system, and wherein the virtual player tracking card PIN is provided to the authorized patron in response to the authorized patron logging in to the player tracking account using a mobile device prior to the card-in activation being detected; upon receiving the virtual player tracking card PIN, transmitting the virtual player tracking card PIN to a gaming server; upon transmitting the virtual player tracking card PIN, receiving a validation that the virtual player tracking card PIN is associated with the authorized patron, wherein the validation is based on matching the virtual player tracking card PIN to the player tracking account of the authorized patron; associating the authorized patron with the gaming machine upon receiving said validation; and detecting a card-out activation.