Gaming Device Auction System for Prize Selection Variety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming device players become discouraged due to low odds of winning physical prizes, and limited choices of prizes, which discourages continued play and reduces investment in gaming machines.
Innovation Solution
A gaming device system that allows players to select from multiple auction items, attributing a portion of their wagers or awards to an accumulating bid, enabling them to choose prizes aligned with personal preferences, with options to change bids, set wager percentages, and use casino or third-party funding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single physical prize is offered as a jackpot incentive, then player attention is attracted to the gaming machines, but players become discouraged due to low odds of winning and limited prize choices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single prize opportunity into multiple auction items with different values and categories. Players can bid on multiple items simultaneously, dividing their wagering budget across different targets. This segmentation provides variety and choice while maintaining the auction mechanism's core functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The gaming device is enhanced with multi-functionality by integrating both traditional gaming operations and auction bidding capabilities. The system universally handles wagering for both game awards and auction bids, allowing players to pursue multiple prize types through a single unified interface.
2Reliability
If players wager large amounts on traditional jackpots, then the potential prize value increases, but players become discouraged because the money does not help their odds on subsequent plays
Solution Approach 1:
The auction system provides immediate feedback to players by displaying their current bid status and progress toward winning. This continuous feedback loop shows players the direct impact of their wagers on their bidding position, encouraging continued play as they can see their bids accumulating and potentially winning in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
Players perform preliminary actions by placing bids in advance through accumulated wagers. The system allows players to build their bids over time through repeated wagering, creating a foundation of accumulated value before the final auction conclusion. This preliminary bidding activity encourages sustained engagement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple auction items are offered, then players have more choices aligned with personal preferences, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables players to self-manage their auction bids by allowing them to select which auction items to pursue and how to allocate their wagering budget. Players independently make decisions about bid distribution across multiple items without requiring complex system intervention, simplifying the user experience while maintaining versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for auctioning an item via a gaming device are disclosed. The methods and apparatus enable a gaming device player (e.g., a slot machine player) to select one or more auction items the player is interested in bidding on. As the player plays the gaming device, a portion of each bet and/or a portion of each win is allocated to an accumulating bid on the selected auction item(s). In one embodiment, other players, connected via a network, also bid on the auction item(s) in a similar fashion. At the end of an auction, the highest bidder is awarded with the auction item. In one embodiment, the auction item is a physical auction item physically displayed at the gaming device.