An operational system for travel agents provides visual access to travel-related information without the necessity for the travel agent to have previously memorized any information or any access codes or the like. Travel related data is entered into a computer memory, for example, using a predetermined code number system and a keyboard is provided that has initially printed thereon titles of generic information, such as geographical regions, for example. Upon displaying the selected generic information, retrieval code numbers are displayed so that the operator can display more specific data by a sequential code number build up, thereby providing a full range of information down to minor details without requiring the user to memorize any code numbers or specific information.

A coin-freed player-operable entertainment machine is connected via a transmission link, such as a telephone line, to a remote control device. The link may be used to tramsmit program information to a control system of the machine so that the game to be played with the machine can be changed as desired from the remote control location. Alternatively or additionally, the transmission link may be used to transmit information concerning machine operation from the machine to the remote control location.

The invention is a commercial or lottery instant game played with a ticket which bears a pre-printed number for the lottery game and no number for the commercial game. A random generated number is printed on the ticket for digit comparison with the pre-printed lottery number or digit sameness comparison of the printed random number on the commercial ticket. Sensing of the ticket stops a random number generator with a memory holding the random number developed on stopping. This number is printed on the ticket and displayed. In the absence of a ticket the device displays changing numbers as an attraction. The ticket may be validated by sensing and encoded with special information.

An instant lottery game in which remote vending machines are centrally controlled by a central computer is disclosed. Each vending machine generates a pre-selected indicia which may be player-controlled. Upon the receipt of a wager of a proper amount, the central computer generates a random indicia. The number of matches between the random and pre-selected indicia are determined and the prize amount based upon the number of matches and the wager amount is computed. The vending machine immediately pays out the prize amount if it is less than a pre-determined value and issues a validation ticket if the prize amount is more than said pre-determined value.

A ticket-issuing system comprising an alphabetical keyboard which permits, through a suitable circuit arrangement, introduction into the data processing section of the system the name of a station of destination by omitting from the station name one or more letters. Instead, each group of omitted letters is represented by depressing a key which indicates such omission. After such keying operation, there will appear on the video display of the system either the name of the desired destination, or a list of names of destinations which satisfy the introduced request. The destinations appearing on the video display are accompanied by a code number which permits the operator to definitively key the destination into the machine for the issuance of the ticket. The ticket-issuing machine further comprises an immediate selection keyboard, presenting a plurality of keys for the immediate selection of a number of destinations which are the most frequently requested from the station at which the system is located.