Automatic electronic downloading of bingo cards

Claim 1

An electronic gaming system for playing a game which requires a plurality of gaming card arrays each formed from a plurality of symbols positioned in predetermined symbol display locations, said gaming system comprising: (a) a system base station comprising: a game card array production means for producing a series of unique gaming card arrays each of which complies with the rules of a game, each gaming card array comprising data representing a plurality of symbols, a plurality of said gaming card arrays together comprising a gaming card library; a base station communication port; request means for requesting at least one gaming card array for a game participant; system base station data transfer means responsive to said request means for retrieving at least one of said gaming card arrays from said gaming card array production means and for presenting it to said base station communications port; (b) a plurality of gaming boards each comprising: a gaming board communications port designed to exchange information with said base station communications port; memory means for storing gaming card arrays; gaming board data transfer means responsive to the receipt of a gaming card array at said gaming board communications port for transferring said gaming card array from said gaming board communications port to said memory means; and game playing means for playing said game utilizing at least one gaming card array in said memory means, wherein said system base station data transfer means includes means for presenting a game code number unique to a specific gaming session to said gaming board communications port (c) means for applying the game code number to validate a win condition of a gaming board.