Patent ID: 6896618

Claim:
A method of registering a player to a loyalty program at a gaming machine used to play one or more games of chance: detecting a request to register a player to a loyalty program at the gaming machine wherein the request to register the player is for allowing the player to join the loyalty program; receiving loyalty program information; receiving instrument information stored on an instrument at the gaming machine wherein the instrument is not associated with a loyalty program account in the loyalty program and wherein the instrument information identifies the instrument; sending a registration request message including the loyalty program information and the instrument information from the gaming machine to a loyalty program server; wherein the loyalty program information and the instrument information are for registering the player in the loyalty program by generating a new loyalty program account and wherein after completing the registration of the player in the loyalty program, the instrument becomes a loyalty program instrument operable for initiating a loyalty program session that uses the new loyalty program account during subsequent game play.