Abstract: An automatic ticket dispensing machine and a method for operating it to automatically adjust itself to the size of tickets being dispensed. A strip of tickets is fed forward with an advancing mechanism past an optical sensor which detects the perforations between tickets. The optical sensor is coupled to a controller which controls the advancing mechanism. The controller determines the length of the ticket by monitoring the distance the tickets are advanced between detections of perforations. In response to a request for a ticket, the controller advances the ticket strip by a distance corresponding to the predetermined ticket length of output.

Abstract: A video entertainment system includes a central station (10) that is connected to a plurality of remote display terminals (12) through a data link (14). Each of the display units (12) has a display (16), a currency receptacle (18) for receiving currency to activate the system and a currency dispenser (20) to provide a reward to the player. The players at each of the remote display terminals (12) are presented with an identical query or situation, instructions on how to respond to that query or situation and various select subjective responses. All of the players then individually select a response which is then transmitted to the central station (10). These responses are then analyzed and the proper winning selected response determined by some algorithm that compares all responses or set of responses. All of the remote terminals are provided with information regarding which response was the proper response.