Gaming Machine Bonus Prize Trigger Probability Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gaming machines face inefficiencies in awarding bonus or jackpot prizes, as they often require reducing the 'return to player' (RTP) for base games and feature games to compensate for bonus prizes, limiting the operation and player experience, especially when not all prizes are available for every game played or are tied to specific bets.
Innovation Solution
A gaming machine with a game controller that determines trigger events with a probability independent of player value, allowing for the offering and selection of bonus prizes during gameplay, ensuring that only the selected prize is available, thereby optimizing RTP and player choice without reducing base game or feature game values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional gaming machines award multiple bonus or jackpot prizes, then the variety and attractiveness of prizes increase, but the return to player (RTP) for base games and feature games must be reduced to compensate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the probability calculation for trigger events into distinct components: a value-dependent component (based on player bets) and a value-independent component (fixed probability). This segmentation allows the system to offer multiple bonus prizes with independent trigger probabilities, preventing the need to reduce base game RTP while maintaining attractive bonus prize variety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts trigger event probabilities by combining value-dependent and value-independent components. The value-independent component ensures that bonus prizes remain accessible regardless of bet size, while the value-dependent component allows flexibility in prize availability. This dynamic probability structure resolves the contradiction by maintaining both prize variety and base game RTP.
2Device complexity
If bonus prizes are tied to specific bet thresholds or games, then the structure simplifies prize management, but the operation of the gaming machine is limited and not all prizes are available for every game played
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal trigger event evaluation mechanism that can assess multiple bonus prize triggers simultaneously across different games and bet levels. The game controller evaluates all trigger events for each game play regardless of bet size or game type, allowing any bonus prize to be potentially available on any game played. This universal evaluation system maintains simplified prize management while dramatically increasing prize availability and player choice.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a gaming machine comprising a display for displaying a game comprising the display of randomly selected game symbols and where predetermined winning combinations of the randomly selected game symbols in the game award prizes to a player. A game controller controls the display of the game symbols on the display and determines whether a trigger event has occurred in the play of the game. The trigger event has a probability with a probability component that is independent of the value received from the player. Upon occurrence of the trigger event, the game controller offers a plurality of bonus prizes for selection by the player. Once the player selects a bonus prize, the game controller causes the selected bonus prize to only be available during play of the game. A method is also provided.