Gaming system with session master and gaming boards

An automatic gaming system for a chance based game comprising:

• a plurality of electronic gaming boards on which to play said chance based game, each including a communications means having a serial data transmit line and a serial data receive line;
• a system means including a programmed processor and communications means having a serial data transmit line and a serial data receive line;
• said system transmit line connectable to said gaming board receive line and said system receive line connectable to said gaming board transmit line when data is to be transferred between said system means and one of said gaming boards;
• said system means and gaming boards operating under a communications protocol where said system means initiates a communications attempt to one of said gaming boards by changing the state of the signal on its transmit line within a specified period of time, said system means acknowledges said reply by changing the state of the signal on its transmit line, and said one gaming board indicates a ready condition by changing the state of the signal on its transmit line.

An automatic gaming system for a chance based game, said system having a load mode and a play mode and comprising:

• a plurality of electronic gaming boards, each having respective memory means and each being adapted to be used in the load mode to receive and store in the respective memory means a validation code and a serial gaming schedule comprising a plurality of win patterns which describe a scheduled sequence of successive independent games each having at least one predetermined win pattern and including means operable in the play mode for recalling said stored gaming schedule from said memory means and executing it to play the respective individual games in the scheduled sequence;
• a plurality of validation units for validating win claims for said electronic gaming boards, each of said validation units including means for comparing a validation code stored in said validation units to a validation code stored in said electronic gaming boards;
• and
• system means, including a programmed processor, operable during the load mode for downloading to each of said plurality of electronic gaming boards said gaming schedule and for downloading to each of said plurality of electronic gaming boards said validation code, and for downloading to each of said validation units said validation code.