Skill-Based Wagering Machine RTP Control via Segmented Game States
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming regulatory authorities require electronic gaming machines to maintain a minimum return-to-player while ensuring they do not payout more than a maximum return-to-player, which conflicts with providing players with meaningful skill-based decisions that affect their odds of winning.
Innovation Solution
A gaming machine system that includes a credit input mechanism, player interface, and game controller, which increases or decreases a credit balance based on player skill, ensuring a predetermined minimum return-to-player by randomly selecting game screens and weighting initial game states to account for skill-based moves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the game uses a random number generator to determine outcomes, then the return-to-player can be controlled within regulatory limits, but the player loses meaningful skill-based decisions that affect winning odds
Solution Approach 1:
The game is divided into two distinct phases: a random phase where the initial game screen is determined by RNG to ensure regulatory compliance, and a skill phase where player decisions affect the final outcome. This segmentation allows both randomness for RTP control and skill for player engagement to coexist
Solution Approach 2:
The random number generator determines the initial game screen and symbol arrangement before the player makes any decisions. This preliminary random action sets the boundaries within which the player's skill-based decisions will operate, ensuring the outcome remains within regulatory RTP limits while still allowing skill influence
2Productivity
If the game provides higher payouts for skilled players, then player engagement and skill-based decisions are enhanced, but the return-to-player may exceed maximum limits set by operators
Solution Approach 1:
The game dynamically adjusts the parameters of the initial symbol arrangement based on the randomly selected game screen. Different game screens have different symbol distributions, match requirements, and payout structures. This parameter variation allows skilled players to achieve higher returns through skill while the overall system RTP remains controlled within operator limits
Solution Approach 2:
The game provides multiple possible outcomes from a single initial screen depending on player skill level and decisions. A novice player might achieve a baseline return, while a skilled player making optimal decisions can achieve higher returns. This dynamic response to player skill creates engagement while the predetermined RTP framework ensures operator profitability
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming machine includes a player interface, a memory, a display device, and a game controller. The memory stores data that defines initial symbol arrangements. Each initial symbol arrangement provides a respective, predetermined minimum return-to-player. The game controller randomly selects an initial symbol arrangement from the initial symbol arrangements and displays, with the display device, symbols per the selected initial symbol arrangement. The game controller further updates the symbols displayed on the display device to an updated symbol arrangement by moving a symbol per input signals from the player interface. The game controller also presents, on the display device, an award for the updated symbol arrangement.