Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing a selectable number of tickets from a plurality of serially joined tickets includes a platform on which the joined tickets are supported, a first roller mechanism for engaging the joined tickets and advancing the tickets in a forward direction, a cutting mechanism for cutting adjacent joined tickets along a cut line extending across the platform, a controller housed in the platform and connected to the first roller mechanism and the cutting mechanism, and a detector mechanism coupled to the controller. The detector mechanism detects when adjacent joined tickets are on opposite sides of the cut line and provides information to the controller to enable the controller to count a selected number of tickets. The controller controls the first roller mechanism and the cutting mechanism to advance, cut and dispense a selected number of tickets from the joined tickets.