Video gaming device and communications system

1. A multi-player card gaming system comprising:

a) a plurality of spatially separate player stations, each said player station including:

at least one input device for allowing a player to enter game play selections into said system;

a currency acceptor for entering currency to facilitate game play;

a money pit door for gaming access to a money pit for collecting currency from said currency acceptor;

at least one output device for communicating game play outcome to the player, and

means for monitoring a plurality of events at said player station, said events at least including opening of said money pit door and entering an amount of currency into said currency acceptor;

b) a game processor interfaced to said plurality of player stations;

c) a single video display monitor connected to said game processor for displaying said game play of each player station together, and

d) a remote computer interfaced to said game processor for monitoring events of multiple individual gaming machines;

wherein, said game processor is programmed first to execute a multi-player video card gaming program in response to inputs received from said player station input devices and currency acceptors, determine an outcome of said gaming program for each said player station, display said outcome on said video display monitor and communicate said outcome to said player station output devices; and second, to receive player station event information from said event monitoring means in each said player station and, in response thereto, to send messages to said remote computer, each said message identifying a one of said player stations and an event at said one of said player stations; and, in response to receipt of a command from said remote computer to shut down one of said player stations, sending a shut down command to said one of said player stations; and,

said remote computer is programmed to identify each of said player stations as a corresponding one of a plurality of separate gaming machines and, in response to receipt of a message from said game processor indicating improper operation of one of said player stations, sending a command to said game processor to shut down said one of said gaming machines, said command including information identifying which of said gaming machines is to be shut down.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote computer is programmed, in response to receipt of a message from said gaming program that the money pit door of one of said player stations has been opened, to send a command to said game processor identifying said one of said player stations and commanding said game processor to shut down that one of said player stations.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said game processor is implemented using a personal computer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each player station further includes a player station processor for generating personal computer compatible codes in response to actuation of said input devices or said currency acceptor, and inputting said codes into said game processor.

5. The system of claim 1, further including metering means for metering game play activity data as a whole for said multiplayer game and wherein said game processor further is programmed to send said game play activity data to said remote computer.

6. A multi-player card gaming system comprising:

a) a plurality of spatially separate player stations, each said player station including:

at least one input device for allowing a player to enter game play selections into said system;

a currency acceptor for entering currency to facilitate game play;

a money pit door for gaining access to a money pit for collecting currency from said currency acceptor;

at least one output device for communicating game play outcome to the player;

means for monitoring a plurality of events at said player station, said events at least including opening of said money pit door and entering an amount of currency into said currency acceptor; and

a player station processor for generating personal computer compatible codes in response to actuation of said input devices or said currency acceptor, or occurrence of any of said player station events;

b) a game processor interfaced to said plurality of player stations and receiving said codes from each of said player station processors, said game processor being implemented by a personal computer;

c) a single video display monitor interfaced to said game processor for displaying said game play of each player station together;

d) a remote computer interfaced to said game processor for monitoring events of multiple individual gaming machines; and

e) metering means for metering game play activity data as a whole for said multiplayer game;

wherein, said game processor is programmed first to execute a multiplayer video card gaming program in response to inputs received from said player station input devices and currency acceptors, determine an outcome of said gaming program for each said player station, display said outcome on said video display monitor and communicate said outcome to said player station output devices; and second, to receive player station event information from said event monitoring means in each said player station and said game play activity data as a whole from said metering means and, in response thereto, send messages to said remote computer, each said message identifying either said game play activity data as a whole or a one of said player stations and an event at said one of said player stations; and, in response to receipt of a command from said remote computer to shut down one of said player stations, sending a shut down command to said one of said player stations; and,

said remote computer is programmed to identify each of said player stations as a corresponding one of a plurality of separate gaming machines and in response to receipt of a message from said game processor indicating that the money pit door of one of said player stations has been opened, sending a command to said game processor to shut down said one of said player station,said command including information identifying which of said player stations is to be shut down.