Multiple Progressive Awards Segmentation in Gaming Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mystery progressive systems in gaming machines often lead to jackpot fatigue, where only one player wins the progressive award, discouraging others and resulting in infrequent wins due to mathematical and funding challenges.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system with a central server or controller linked to multiple machines, offering multiple independent progressive awards that start at different levels, increment at different rates, and are triggered by various events, allowing players to win multiple progressive awards based on different criteria, increasing the frequency and excitement of wins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single mystery progressive award is offered, then the award amount can grow to a high value, but the win frequency becomes too low causing jackpot fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a single progressive award into multiple separate progressive awards (first, second, third, and fourth progressive awards). Each progressive award accumulates separately and can be won independently. This segmentation allows the system to offer multiple smaller progressive awards more frequently while maintaining the option for high award amounts, thereby resolving the contradiction between award size and win frequency.
2Reliability
If only one player can win the progressive award, then the award can be funded sustainably, but other players become discouraged and play less
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates multiple independent progressive awards that can be won by different players simultaneously or sequentially. This means that if one player wins the first progressive award, other players can still win the second, third, or fourth progressive awards. This segmentation maintains funding sustainability while significantly improving player engagement by ensuring that multiple players can experience wins, eliminating the discouragement effect of a single-winner system.
3Quantity of substance
If progressive awards are triggered by rare events, then the award value can accumulate to high amounts, but long periods pass between wins
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the progressive award system into multiple parallel tracks (first, second, third, fourth progressive awards), each with its own triggering events and accumulation rates. This allows different progressive awards to be triggered at different times based on different events, ensuring that while one progressive award may be accumulating, others can be won more frequently. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining high award values through selective accumulation while reducing time between wins through diversified triggering opportunities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements different periodic triggering mechanisms for different progressive awards. Some progressive awards may be triggered by periodic events (e.g., every certain number of plays), while others are triggered by specific symbol combinations or game outcomes. This periodic action ensures that progressive awards are distributed at regular intervals, preventing long dry spells between wins while maintaining the ability for high value accumulation.
4Device complexity
If the progressive award system is simple with one award type, then the system is easy to understand, but player interest and excitement decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the progressive award system into multiple distinct progressive awards, each with its own characteristics, triggering events, and accumulation patterns. This segmentation creates variety and excitement for players while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. Each progressive award can be understood independently, yet together they create a rich, engaging system that adapts to different player preferences and playing styles, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system including a plurality of different types of progressive awards adapted to be provided to one or more players of the gaming machines. In one embodiment, one or more progressive awards are each associated with a progressive hit value, wherein when each progressive award increments to its respective progressive hit value, a triggering event occurs and such progressive award is provided to a player. In one embodiment, one or more progressive awards are each associated with a secondary game, wherein if the secondary game is triggered, a player is provided either a static award or one of the progressive awards associated with the secondary game based on a play of the secondary game. In one embodiment, one or more progressive awards are each associated with an outcome of a primary game, wherein if the associated primary game outcome is generated, such progressive award is provided to a player.