Automatic gaming system

An automatic gaming system employing a plurality of gaming cards used by the players comprising:

• a card dispensing unit including means for reading from a gaming card a coded representation of the gaming indicia format on the card;
• storage means;
• means for verifying the coded representation;
• means responsive to a verified coded representation for assigning a control identification to that card and storing said coded representation and control identification in said storage means;
• means for printing said assigned control identification on said card;
• and
• a gaming unit including means for entering selected gaming indicia in said storage means;
• means for entering the control identification of an alleged winning card;
• means for validating said control identification of the alleged winning card;
• means for comparing the entered selected gaming indicia with the gaming indicia format of the alleged winning card to determine if a predetermined pattern of the selected indicia is present on the card format indicating a winning card;
• means for setting the value of the cards and means for selecting the number of cards to be printed and storing that information in said storge means;
• and
• means for calculating the value of all cards printed and the award for a winning card.