Gaming System Progressive Award Eligibility Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing progressive award systems in gaming machines discourage players from continuing to play if they have a limited amount of time or money, as they may miss the opportunity to win if they leave the game, leading to jackpot fatigue and reduced player engagement.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system that allows any player who contributed to a progressive award to win it, regardless of their current playing status, by implementing independent triggering events for selecting the winning player and determining the award value, enabling players to remain eligible even after leaving the game.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a progressive award system requires players to be present at the gaming machine when the award is triggered, then the system can immediately provide the award to the player, but players may leave the game and miss the opportunity to win, leading to reduced player engagement and jackpot fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by selecting a winning player and determining the award value independently before the player is required to be present. The controller stores the awarded amount in memory and waits for the player's return, rather than requiring immediate player presence for award determination. This allows players to leave and return without losing their winnings.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary by maintaining a stored award amount in its memory between the triggering event and the actual award delivery. This intermediary storage mechanism decouples the award determination from the player's physical presence, allowing the system to reliably track and deliver awards even when players are absent.
2Device complexity
If the system uses a single triggering event for both selecting the winning player and determining the award value, then the system structure remains simple, but players with limited time or money may experience jackpot fatigue and reduced engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the triggering process into two independent triggering events: a first triggering event that selects the winning player and determines the award value, and a second triggering event that occurs when the player returns to claim the award. This segmentation allows the award to be predetermined and stored, improving player engagement without significantly increasing system complexity.
3Productivity
If players must be actively playing to remain eligible for progressive awards, then the system can ensure continuous engagement, but players with limited time or money are discouraged from participating
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the award selection and value determination in advance, before the player needs to return. This preliminary action ensures that players are eligible regardless of their playing schedule, as the award is predetermined and simply waits for the player's return. Players with limited time or money can participate without being constrained by continuous play requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system is provided that includes a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming system includes a progressive award adapted to be provided to a designated winning player of the gaming machines in the gaming system. In one embodiment, the gaming system designates the winning player when the progressive award reaches a player threshold value. In such an embodiment, the gaming system provides the progressive award to the designated winning player when the progressive award reaches an award threshold value. In one embodiment, each player who contributes to the progressive award is eligible to win that progressive award, even if that player is not playing one of the gaming machines in the gaming system. The gaming system provides the progressive award to the designated winning player or causes a notification of being provided the progressive award to the winning player. Accordingly, the gaming system stores the progressive award until one of the players of one of the gaming machines is designated.