Gaming machine and coupons

A gaming machine for vending game coupons in return for currency or game credits, wherein some of the vended game coupons are winning coupons, said winning coupons being coded with a digital machine-readable prize code representing a number of prize game credits and being redeemable for said number of prize game credits or for cash, the gaming machine comprising:

• a coupon vendor which selectively dispenses individual game coupons to a player;
• a coupon acceptor which accepts said individual game coupons from the player after said individual game coupons have been dispensed by the coupon vendor;
• the coupon acceptor including a code reader for reading the prize codes from winning coupons from among said individual game coupons;
• the coupon acceptor being operably connected to the coupon vendor to authorize the coupon vendor to dispense game coupons in response to the number of prize game credits represented by the prize codes from said winning game coupons.

A gaming machine for individually vending sets of game coupons in return for game credits, wherein some individual game coupons are winning coupons, said winning coupons being coded with a machine-readable prize code representing a number of prize game credits and a unique coupon identification code, the winning coupons being redeemable for said number of prize game credits or for currency, the gaming machine comprising:

• a coupon vendor which selectively dispenses individual game coupons to a player;
• a coupon acceptor which accepts individual game coupons submitted by the player;
• the coupon acceptor including a code reader for reading the prize codes and the coupon identification codes from submitted winning game coupons;
• the coupon acceptor also including coupon verification means for determining whether the identification code of each submitted winning coupon has previously been read;
• and
• the coupon acceptor being operably connected to the coupon vendor to authorize the coupon vendor to dispense game coupons in response to the number of prize game credits coded on submitted winning game coupons only when said winning game coupons have coupon identification codes which have not previously been read.

A gaming machine coupon acceptor for authorizing a coupon vendor to dispense individual game coupons, wherein some of the vended game coupons are winning coupons, said winning coupons being coded with a digital machine-readable prize code representing a number of prize game credits and being redeemable for said number of prize game credits or for cash, the coupon acceptor comprising:

• a currency validator which accepts currency and winning game coupons from a player after said winning game coupons have been dispensed by the coupon vendor;
• a code reader positioned relative to the currency validator to scan prize codes from said winning coupons as they are accepted by the currency validator;
• and
• a controller operably connected to the currency validator and the code reader, the controller having means for authorizing the coupon vendor to dispense individual game coupons to a player in response to the value of submitted currency and in response to the number of prize game credits represented by the prize codes from said winning game coupons.