An inventory sensor is positioned and configured to identify playing cards stored in compartments of one or more intermediary playing card receivers. The intermediary playing card receivers may be positioned in a card transport path between an input and an output receiver. The inventory sensor allows an inventory of playing cards to be performed, for example, in response to a possibly anomalous condition or in response to a user request. Playing cards may be transferred back to the intermediary playing card receiver from the output receiver before inventorying. A new randomized set of playing cards can be created at the output receiver after inventorying.