Online Gaming Fair Play via Server Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online gaming platforms face challenges in ensuring fair play due to suspicions of manipulated card decks and potential collusion between computer-controlled dealers and players, which hinders industry expansion and player trust.
Innovation Solution
An online gaming system comprising a deal server for generating encrypted gaming elements, a play server for controlling game operations, and an audit server for ensuring fair play, with all servers isolated from the internet and communicating only through secure, point-to-point connections, and an optional transcript server for recording and decrypting communications to verify game integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a computer-controlled dealer is used to manage the game, then game operations can be automated and controlled, but the integrity and fairness of the game are compromised due to potential manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the gaming system into separate independent entities: a deal server that generates encrypted gaming elements, a play server that controls game operations, and an audit server that monitors fairness. This segmentation prevents any single entity from having complete control, thereby maintaining both automation and integrity
Solution Approach 2:
An audit server acts as an intermediary between the play server and players, verifying the fairness of game operations. The audit server receives encrypted gaming elements from the deal server and monitors their distribution, ensuring that automation does not compromise game integrity
2Ease of operation
If the deal server and play server are connected to the internet for accessibility, then players can access the game conveniently, but the system becomes vulnerable to unauthorized access and manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the gaming infrastructure into internet-facing components (audit server) and isolated components (deal server and play server). Players interact through the audit server which is connected to the internet, while the critical deal and play servers remain isolated, thus maintaining both accessibility and security
Solution Approach 2:
The audit server serves as an intermediary that interfaces with players over the internet while protecting the isolated deal and play servers. All communications between players and the gaming system pass through the audit server, which verifies fairness without exposing the core gaming logic to external threats
3Reliability
If encryption is applied to gaming elements to prevent manipulation, then game integrity is maintained, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The audit server performs multiple functions: it acts as a communication interface for players, verifies the fairness of encrypted gaming elements, and monitors the integrity of game operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby managing system complexity while maintaining integrity
Data Source
AI summary
A “fair play” online gaming system comprises a deal server for generating an encrypted set of gaming elements (such as cards) and a play server for controlling a set of operations within a game. The play server is coupled to the deal server and receives encrypted gaming elements from the deal server in response to commands. The gaming system also includes an audit server that is coupled to the play server, where the audit server is used to send and receive information between the play server and one or more online players communicating via the internet. A transcript server may be inserted in the signal path between the audit server and the internet, and used to archive all communications. Importantly, the deal server and the play server cannot communicate with the internet and cannot be accessed by untoward individuals, thus providing fair play conditions for an online game.