Progressive Award Parameter Control for Fair Multi-Game Payouts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming establishment operators face challenges with different gaming devices having different attributes being associated with the same progressive award, leading to uneven contributions and probabilities for progressive awards, with video poker devices providing more awards and costing operators more compared to video reel devices.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system that dynamically adjusts progressive award contribution rates and win probabilities based on the average expected payback percentages of gaming devices, grouping them into ranges and assigning customized rates and probabilities to ensure equitable contributions and chances of winning across devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single progressive award is shared across all gaming devices regardless of their attributes, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but fairness and equity in contributions and win probabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different contribution rates and win probabilities to different groups of gaming devices based on their specific attributes (video poker vs. video reel, different payback percentages). Each device group receives customized parameters tailored to its characteristics, ensuring fair representation in the progressive award system while maintaining a single shared award pool.
2Reliability
If different contribution rates are assigned to different gaming device groups, then fairness and equity are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gaming device population into distinct groups (video poker devices, video reel devices, different payback percentage ranges) and assigns specific contribution rates and win probabilities to each segment. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity through organized categorization while achieving fairness across diverse device types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies system parameters (contribution rates, win probabilities) based on device group characteristics. By changing these parameters dynamically according to device type and attributes, the system achieves fairness without requiring fundamentally different system architectures, thus managing complexity through parameter adjustment rather than structural overhaul.
3Device complexity
If video poker devices contribute at the same rate as video reel devices, then device complexity is minimized, but operator hold percentages become unbalanced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing device-specific contribution rates that account for differences in operator hold between video poker and video reel devices. Video poker devices, which typically have higher operator hold, are assigned different contribution rates compared to video reel devices, ensuring balanced overall contributions while maintaining simplicity through standardized group-based pricing.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods that modify one or more parameters associated with a progressive award based on one or more parameters of a gaming device associated with the progressive award.