Multi-Currency Gaming Server Integration via Segmented Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional gaming facility currency systems are limited to single currencies, making it cumbersome for facilities to handle multiple currencies and foreign bills, leading to decreased player engagement and revenue due to the complexity of currency exchanges and lack of support for cashless systems with multiple currencies.
Innovation Solution
A multi-currency system is introduced that allows existing cashless systems to support foreign bills by using a separate communication path for information transmission between the reception system and issuance server, enabling the conversion of foreign bills to domestic currency without requiring extensive software or hardware changes, thus adding a multi-currency function to existing ticket/cashless systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional single-currency system is used, then system simplicity and existing infrastructure are maintained, but the ability to handle foreign currencies and player convenience are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent communication paths: a transit path through the game controller for barcode ticket issuance, and a non-transit path directly between the reception system and issuance server for bill information transmission. This segmentation allows multi-currency functionality to be added without modifying the existing game controller communication infrastructure, thereby maintaining system simplicity while enabling foreign currency support.
Solution Approach 2:
The reception system acts as an intermediary that receives both domestic and foreign currency bills, converts foreign currency amounts to domestic currency using stored exchange rates, and transmits the converted information through the non-transit path to the issuance server. This intermediary approach allows the existing single-currency issuance system to handle multi-currency operations without modification.
2Adaptability or versatility
If currency exchange services are provided through multiple exchange counters, then foreign currency support is available, but operational complexity and player inconvenience increase
Solution Approach 1:
The reception system automatically performs currency conversion by storing exchange rates in its storage unit and autonomously converting foreign currency bill amounts to domestic currency. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual currency exchange operations at separate counters, allowing players to directly use foreign currency bills in gaming machines without visiting exchange counters, thereby improving operational convenience while maintaining foreign currency support.
3Extent of automation
If a cashless system is implemented with barcode tickets, then cash handling is reduced, but the system cannot easily support foreign currency bills
Solution Approach 1:
The reception system is designed with multi-functionality to handle both barcode tickets (cashless operation) and foreign currency bills. It includes a storage unit for exchange rates and a conversion unit that automatically converts foreign currency amounts to domestic currency, enabling the cashless system to process foreign currency bills the same way it processes domestic currency, thereby maintaining automation while adding foreign currency support.
4Adaptability or versatility
If extensive software and hardware changes are made to support foreign bills, then multi-currency functionality is achieved, but modification workload and system disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system is segmented into two independent paths: the existing transit path through the game controller remains unchanged for barcode ticket operations, while a new non-transit path is created directly between the reception system and issuance server for foreign currency bill processing. This segmentation allows multi-currency capability to be added without modifying the existing game controller software or hardware, significantly reducing modification workload and avoiding system disruption.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of modifying the entire existing cashless system, only the necessary partial components (reception system with exchange rate storage and conversion unit, and the non-transit communication path) are added or modified. The majority of the existing system infrastructure remains unchanged, reducing the overall modification workload while achieving multi-currency capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a system that is capable of adding a multi-currency function to an existing ticket/cashless server. The system according to the present application communicates information to issue a barcode ticket for taking out a credit from a gaming machine via a path connected with a game controller and, in the case of receipt of a bill, sends information on the bill to the ticket/cashless server via a path different from the path.