A cashless peripheral method interfacing with a gaming system. The gaming
system issues a "cash-out" signal when a player quits playing and receives
a "cash-in" signal when a player desires to play a game in the gaming
system. A stack of unprinted tickets is stored in the interior of the
device. A ticket printer prints a coded value, such as a bar code, on a
ticket in response to a cash-out signal from the gaming system. A ticket
reader reads the amount printed on the ticket. If the printed value
corresponds to the value which should have been printed, a ticket-out
transport delivers the printed ticket to the player cashing out from the
gaming system. When a player inserts the printed ticket into the device a
ticket-in transport senses the insertion and the ticket reader reads the
coded value from the inserted printed ticket. The ticket reader issues a
cash-in signal to the gaming system corresponding to the value read from
the coded value on the inserted printed ticket. After reading, the ticket
is delivered into a ticket bin, which is secured by means of a lock
internally in the housing.