Consider
the position a casino operator finds himself in when he installs
a Slot Players Club system utilizing magnetic stripe card readers
to track how much his customers gamble. Because a casino floor typically
contains popular slot machines from many different manufacturers--most
of which communicate via their own proprietary protocols--the operator
must either buy or develop a Slot Machine Software Management System
(SMS) that can interpret the disparate protocols or select a proprietary
protocol supplied by a slot manufacturer or systems company.