Various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to operating an electronic gaming machine to generate a wager-based game. A game control unit and a secure enclosure are provided. The secure enclosure is divided into two compartments. A game control unit including a game controller and two heat dissipation units is disposed within the first compartment. In a second compartment, which is fluidly coupled to the first compartment, fans are provided. The fans drive air from outside the secure enclosure through the heat dissipation units in the first compartment to cool electrical components associated with the game controller which are mounted on an outside of the heat dissipation units. The two heat dissipation units can each include fins and heat pipes. The ends of the fins of the two heat dissipation units can be substantially touching one another to provide a compact form factor.