Technician input-free reconfiguration of secured gaming system

A gaming machine system comprising:

• one or more secured first housings each having a respective and normally locked first entry that provides physical access to an interior of the respective one among the first housings upon unlocking of the respective first entry;
• a gaming machine controller configured to manage one or more gaming activities of the gaming machine system, the gaming machine controller having one or more secured processors and a secured memory, all disposed within the interior of a first housing among the secured first housings, the gaming machine controller connecting to an I/O receptacle also disposed within the interior of the first housing;
• wherein the gaming machine controller is programmed to repeatedly run among executing processes of its one or more secured processors, a service configured to implement a predetermined set of recognizable commands whose actions include accessing secured data within the secured memory, the secured data not being permitted to be accessed remotely from outside the first housing while the respective first entry of the first housing is locked;
• where in its repeated executions, the service:
• first checks for insertion of a dynamically-linkable and reprogrammable storage device into the I/O receptacle;
• second checks, in response to a detection of insertion of the storage device into the I/O receptacle for presence of one or more commands of the predetermined set of recognizable commands among commands stored within the inserted storage device;
• launches, in response to detected presence of the one or more commands, respectively executing programs in the gaming machine controller that access the secured data in accordance with implementing respective ones of the recognizable commands stored within the inserted storage device;
• saves results of the launched programs into the inserted storage device;
• and
• signals, in response to completion of the implementation of the recognizable commands stored within the inserted storage device and in response to completion of saving of the results, that the inserted storage device can be removed.

A progressives gaming controlling system comprising:

• a lockable cabinet including a first entry that provides physical access to an interior of the cabinet upon unlocking;
• a progressives gaming machine controller, including a processor and a memory, all disposed within the interior of the cabinet, the gaming machine controller connecting to an I/O receptacle also disposed within the interior of the cabinet, the progressives gaming machine controller operatively coupling to a plurality of electronic gaming machines and configured to regulate a progressive jackpot that is winnable by way of the plurality of electronic gaming machines;
• wherein the progressives gaming machine controller is programmed to repeatedly run among executing processes thereof, a service configured to implement a predetermined set of recognizable commands whose actions include accessing secured data within the memory, the secured data being unmodifiable remotely from outside the cabinet while the first entry is locked, where in its repeated executions the service:
• first checks for insertion of a dynamically-linkable and reprogrammable storage device into the I/O receptacle;
• second checks, in response to a detection of insertion of the storage device into the I/O receptacle for presence of one or more commands of the predetermined set of recognizable commands among commands stored within the inserted storage device;
• launches, in response to detected presence of the one or more commands, respective programs in the controller that access the secured data in accordance with implementing respective ones of the recognizable commands stored within the inserted storage device;
• saves results of the launched programs into the inserted storage device;
• and
• signals, in response to completion of the implementation of the recognizable commands stored within the inserted storage device and to completion of saving of the results, that the inserted storage device can be removed.

A progressives gaming system operable within a predetermined venue, the system comprising:

• a plurality of electronic gaming machines disposed within the venue;
• a lockable cabinet disposed within the venue and including a first entry that provides physical access to an interior of the cabinet upon unlocking;
• a progressives gaming machine controller, including a processor and a memory, all disposed within the interior of the cabinet, the gaming machine controller connecting to an I/O receptacle also disposed within the interior of the cabinet, the progressives gaming machine controller operatively coupling to two or more of the plurality of electronic gaming machines and configured to regulate a progressive jackpot that is winnable by way of the plurality of electronic gaming machines;
• wherein the progressives gaming machine controller is programmed to repeatedly run among executing processes thereof, a service configured to implement a predetermined set of recognizable commands whose actions include accessing secured data within the memory, the secured data being unmodifiable remotely from outside the venue and from outside the cabinet while the first entry is locked, where in its repeated executions the service:
• first checks for insertion of a dynamically-linkable and reprogrammable storage device into the I/O receptacle;
• second checks, in response to a detection of insertion of the storage device into the I/O receptacle for presence of one or more commands of the predetermined set of recognizable commands among commands stored within the inserted storage device;
• launches, in response to detected presence of the one or more commands, respective programs in the controller that access the secured data in accordance with implementing respective ones of the recognizable commands stored within the inserted storage device;
• saves results of the launched programs into the inserted storage device;
• and
• signals, in response to completion of the implementation of the recognizable commands stored within the inserted storage device and to completion of saving of the results, that the inserted storage device can be removed.