Electronic Bingo System Variable Card Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic bingo-type gaming systems face challenges in providing equal probabilities and prize-to-wager equality, particularly in progressive jackpot games, where players wagering less than the maximum amount are disenfranchised and the player pool is limited, affecting the frequency of progressive wins.
Innovation Solution
An electronic gaming system that determines the number of virtual bingo cards for each machine based on the wager size, allowing all players to participate in a progressive jackpot and awarding scaled prizes, ensuring equal probability and increased player participation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If only maximum wager players are permitted to win the progressive jackpot, then prize-to-wager equality is maintained, but the player pool is limited and win frequency is adjusted from designed value
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of card quantity from a fixed value to a variable that depends on wager amount. Players wagering different amounts receive different numbers of virtual bingo cards (e.g., minimum wager = 1 card, maximum wager = 5 cards), which adjusts their probability of winning the progressive jackpot proportionally to their contribution to the progressive pot.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different qualities (number of cards) to different parts (players) based on their wager amounts. Each player's probability of winning is locally adjusted according to their specific wager level, rather than applying a uniform rule to all players.
2Productivity
If all players contribute equally to the progressive pot regardless of wager size, then player participation is maximized, but prize-to-wager equality is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of card quantity to reflect the proportional contribution of each player to the progressive pot. Players who wager more contribute more to the progressive pot and receive more cards, maintaining the relationship between contribution and opportunity to win.
3Reliability
If the number of virtual bingo cards is determined by wager size, then probability of winning is adjusted to match contribution to progressive pot, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server performs multiple functions: it manages the progressive pot, determines winning patterns, generates virtual bingo cards, and adjusts card quantities based on wager amounts. This consolidation of functions in a central server simplifies the overall system architecture compared to distributing this complexity across multiple machines.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic gaming system includes a plurality of electronic gaming machines including a display, a wager acceptor to receive value, and a controller, and a server in communication with the gaming machines. The server is configured to determine the machines participating in a session of a bingo-type game with a progressive prize; collect a portion of a wager received at each of the machines, wherein the size of the wager may vary; determine a number of virtual bingo cards for each of the machines in accordance with the size of the wager received; issue the virtual bingo cards to each of the machines in accordance with the determination; generate one or more sets of indicia; determine a progressive win event based on the virtual bingo cards and the one or more sets of indicia; and award the progressive prize to the machine associated with the win event.