Patent Grant
11978305
The present invention is an innovation in electronic gaming devices and systems for gambling games of chance that are legally required to operate based on physically distributed finite pools of predetermined outcomes. The system described herein introduces a memory efficient and highly secure design for operating these games that meets the regulatory requirements for games based on physically distributed finite pools of predetermined outcomes by distributing the outcome pools on smart cards.
In many jurisdictions worldwide where gambling is permitted there are special classifications of games that may only reveal predetermined outcomes to players rather than dynamically generated true random chance determined outcomes. In a game of predetermined outcomes, all possible outcomes are known before the game starts thereby guaranteeing to regulators and players that what a game promises can happen, will happen during the play of the game—nothing is left to chance other than which outcome will be revealed next as play continues. Instant ticket games in lotteries and pull-tab ticket games in tribal Class II gaming are two such examples of games that operate on finite pools of predetermined outcomes.
In many jurisdictions, there is an additional requirement that the predetermined outcomes are physically separate from any machines used in the sale and operation of such games. The requirement for physical separation and distribution of the outcomes from any gaming-related machinery represents the difference between a machine that is classified as a device dispensing outcomes or tickets vs. a traditional electronic gambling device such as a slot machine which is operating on unpredictable true random chance with each play.
While there are many forms of gaming systems that operate on finite, predetermined pools of outcomes, the requirement for producing and physically distributing outcome pools for a game has resulted in some interesting but limited innovations in gaming systems. One of the most innovative of these systems is the Lucky Tab II machine from Diamond Game Enterprises which relies on a replaceable spool of paper with all predetermined game outcomes printed on the paper. The player is presented with a screen with animating slot machine reels, but the underlying outcomes are predetermined and printed on the paper spool which is housed in the gaming device cabinet.
While the Lucky Tab machine meets the requirement for physical separation of outcomes from gaming equipment, mechanical operation of the spool within the device presents potential mechanical failures. In addition, the physical spool size that can be accommodated in the device results in maintenance challenges for gaming operators of the gaming machines. A further limitation of the Lucky Tab machines is that the predetermined outcomes printed on the spool can be read by any person who has access to the spools during the printing, distribution, and installation in the gaming machines. This last limitation represents a significant opportunity for cheating by insiders that could result in significant financial losses for gaming operators.
An invention from Tapcentive, Inc. described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,529,187 (Irwin et al.) entitled, “Electronic instant tickets for instant ticket vending machines” attempts to solve a similar problem by storing individual electronic instant tickets on microprocessors which can then be installed in instant ticket vending machines. This invention is limited by the memory size of smart cards because the invention relies on the storage of individual game outcomes in memory. For very large game pools in the millions or 10s of millions as can be desirable in some games, the storage of as little as 1 byte per outcome is far beyond the memory capacity of generally available smart cards which may have as little as 50,000 bytes of memory.
What is needed is a new design for gambling game systems and devices used for games based on predetermined outcome pools that addresses the requirement for the generation and distribution in physical form of the game's predetermined outcome pools without limiting the size of the pool. This new system would ideally create a simple, secure, and reliable means for designing and operating new games; it would also offer a means to quickly and economically convert popular slot machine games and devices that were designed to operate on true random chance outcomes to instead operate on physically separate finite pools of predetermined outcomes without changing the game designer's intended gameplay experience in any manner through this conversion.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. Described are mechanisms, systems, and methodologies related to electronic gaming devices and smart cards enabling hitherto unknown levels of functionality, security, and flexibility.
This invention is a system for electronic gaming and gambling devices where one or more secure, tamper resistant smart card microprocessors are designed and configured as means to physically distribute finite outcome pools to gambling devices thereby controlling and guaranteeing that all game outcomes offered by the devices are already known prior to the start of gameplay in a manner similar to loading a stack of preprinted tickets to a ticket dispensing gaming machine.
In the present invention, the creation of a finite outcome pool for a game begins by generating all desired outcomes in a secure computing environment separate from the smart card. This computing environment includes the implementation of the game rules and a random number generator which together drive the generation of the outcomes.
While there are many different implementations of random number generators including those that rely on hardware for randomness and others that rely exclusively on various software algorithms for randomness, the random number generator used in the generation of the outcomes pools in the present invention is software-based and referred to as a pseudorandom number generator (PRNG). It should be noted that pseudorandom number generators are also referred to as deterministic random bit generators. An example of well-known PRNG is the Mersenne Twister.
A PRNG is used to generate numbers that approximate truly random numbers; however, a PRNG is not truly random because all values it generates are determined by an initial input referred to as the “seed.” The specific details of the seed depend on which PRNG algorithm is used. The key design principal of PRNGs is that if the same seed is used twice as input to the PRNG, the identical set of random numbers will be generated twice. This principal of reproducibility of numbers generated by the PRNG based on the use of the same seed as input is essential to this invention.
Once the pool has been generated it is analyzed to confirm all of the winning and losing outcomes and to calculate the resulting return-to-player (RTP) across the entire pool. All of this information about the pool along with the seed is then stored in a secure, database system. Because the pool can be reliably reproduced based on the pool data and PRNG, the outcomes from the pool can then be deleted from the secure computing environment to protect against the possibility of the pool outcomes being exposed to anyone intent on cheating the system. In a preferred embodiment, the seeds are stored in a specialized high security data storage device referred to as a hardware security module (HSM) which can be set up with access controls requiring multiple, separate users to provide individual passwords or keys together to unlock access to the seeds in the HSM.
With the information about the pool and seed now securely stored, this data is then securely transmitted to a card manufacturer for loading into a smart card microprocessor. The smart card microprocessor contains an implementation of the game rules and PRNG that match the implementation in the secure computing environment that was used to generate the pool. In a preferred embodiment the implementations of the game rules and PRNG in the secure computing environment and smart card are tested and verified by an independent gaming laboratory to certify that outcome data generated by both systems is identical when using the same seed.
Once the smart card contains the pool information and seed, the smart card can then be installed in a gaming device which includes a smart card reader and has been designed to operate based on the smart card-controlled outcome pools. Because the game rules, seed, and PRNG present in the smart card follow the same implementation as was used in the generation of the pool in the secure computing environment, the smart card will generate the same outcome pool during gameplay thereby guaranteeing that all outcomes are predetermined and known in advance.
Gameplay begins by the player putting money into the gaming device through whatever means is available in the gaming device and system. The player then places a bet through the player controls of the gaming device. The gaming device then communicates the player's bet and play request to the smart card and requests an outcome. The smart card checks to see that the pool has available game outcomes and if so, returns the next available outcome from the pool using the game rules, secure seed, and PRNG in the card. Play can continue until all outcomes from the pool have been revealed. Once that happens, a new smart card with a different seed may be loaded into the gaming device for gameplay to continue.
Described are a number of mechanisms and methodologies that provide practical details for reliably producing the gaming system.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to examples of the present invention, one or more embodiments of which are illustrated in the figures. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not as a limitation of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described with respect to one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. It is intended that the present application encompass these and other modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the invention.
Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. The words “a” and “an”, as used in the claims and in the corresponding portions of the specification, mean “at least one.” In the context of this invention, discussions utilizing terms such as “providing”, “receiving”, “responding”, “verifying”, “challenging”, “generating”, “transmitting”, “authenticating”, or the like, often refer to the actions and processes of an electronic computing devices and/or system. The electronic computing device and/or system manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the circuits, electronic registers, memories, logic, and/or components and the like of the electronic computing device/system into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the electronic computing device/system or other electronic computing devices/systems.
For clarity it may be beneficial to provide a brief description of the current state of the art of smart card technology to ensure that a common lexicon is established for this existing technology. With reference now to
As will be evident to one skilled in the art, a smart card may include only a contact interface is which case the card is referred to as a contact smart card. Alternatively, a smart card may include only a contactless interface in which case the card is referred to as a contactless smart card. If both contact and contactless interfaces are present in the smart card, it is referred to as a dual-interface smart card.
A functional detail of smart card microprocessor 110 includes: Power 111 converter, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 112, a Random Number Generator (RNG) 113, a connection for an external Clock (CLK) 114 provided by the I/O port 116, a Cryptographic Coprocessor (CPT) 115, an Input/Output (I/O) port 116, Random Access Memory (RAM) 117, Read-Only Memory (ROM) 118, and Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) 119. Device-unique firmware and data can be stored and run from ROM 118 or EEPROM 119 and could, optionally, rely on the support of the RNG 113 and CPT 115 for many of the operations. A microprocessor 110 (e.g., SmartMX® designed by NXP® or the SLE 77 designed by Infineon®) is also typically packaged with multiple physical security measures which give it a degree of tamper resistance which is important when the microprocessor is included in devices designed for use in security-sensitive applications.
It may also be helpful to define a number of terms related to gaming which are used throughout the description starting with the term “game” which can refer to any game of chance that can be implemented in a general-purpose computing device or electronic gaming machine.
The term “seed” refers to the input value for a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) so that a series of random numbers can be generated. If the same seed is used twice with the PRNG, the same series of random numbers will be generated twice.
The term “game rules” refers to all aspects of game design that determine what outcomes are possible from playing the game. For example, with a slot machine game these rules include the number of reels, symbols on each reel, and the paytable that lists each winning combination of reel symbols and the associated winning amounts.
The term “outcome” or “game outcome” refers to the result of a single play in a game-of-chance. An outcome is either a win with an associated winning amount based on the player's bet or a loss (non-winner) resulting in the player losing their bet.
The term “gaming device” or “gaming machine” refers to any type of electronic gaming hardware including floor-standing cabinets typical of slot machines installed on casino gaming floors, bar-top gaming machines, kiosks, handheld devices, or any of the many other forms offered by gaming device manufacturers. The term may also refer to personal computing devices such as computers, tablets, and mobile phones all which have capabilities and/or accessories that enable them to communicate with smart cards.
Having concluded the discussion of exemplary prior art smart cards and gaming terminology, various embodiments of the present invention will now be disclosed. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, the present invention overcomes many of the inherent disadvantages and limitations of distributing, finite game pools to gaming devices.
In a preferred embodiment 200 of
The second step 310 involves the creation of a unique seed which will be used with the PRNG 218 in the game pool generator 210 of the security computing environment 201 of
The third step 320 involves the input into the game pool generator 210 of the seed from step 310 along with a desired pool size specifying the number of outcomes that are to be generated.
The first fourth step 330 illustrates a sample of outcomes that are generated by the game pool generator 210 using the seed from step 310 as input to the PRNG 218 in the game pool generator 210. The game type used in this example is a slot machine game where outcomes with winning amounts are determined by lines of matching symbols. As would be evident to one skilled in the art, depending on the game rules for a particular game, the number of random values required from the PRNG 218 per outcome may be more than one. For example, a slot machine game with 5 reels requires 5 random numbers per outcome to determine the stop position on each of the 5 reels to then calculate all of the possible winning amounts that together represent the outcome. Therefore, in the example shown in Step 330, if the game involved 5 reels, a total of 25 random numbers would be generated by the PRNG to determine the 5 outcomes.
The fifth step 340 involves the analysis and summation of the generated game pool data to determine the return-to-player (RTP) once all outcomes have been generated up to the requested pool size. As is evident by those skilled in the art, calculating an RTP for a pool of outcomes involves the sum of all winning amounts divided by the cost (bets) of all plays.
The sixth step 350 involves the storing in the database 220 of
The second step 410 involves the storing of the game pool ID, seed, and pool size in the smart card microprocessor 241.
The third step 420 involves adding the chip serial number from the smart card microprocessor 241 to the database 220 record that was created when the game pool was generated in the secure computing environment 201 in Step 350 of
The second step 510 involves the gaming device 250 of
The third step 520 involves the player placing a bet in the game using funds loaded in step 501.
The fourth step 530 involves the initiation of the game play with the player's specified bet. For the player this typically involves pressing a “play” or “spin” button on the gaming device. During this step, the gaming device 250 of
The fifth step 540 involves the smart card microprocessor 241 generating the next available outcome from the game pool using the stored seed, PRNG 246, and game rules 244, and then increments the play counter 248 by one. Step 540 includes an illustration of the outcomes that are available in the pool in the smart card microprocessor 241. While the diagram illustrates multiple outcomes in step 540, it should be noted that each play only results in a single outcome. The multiple outcome illustration is included to show the exact match to the outcomes generated in the secure computing environment 201 as illustrated in Step 330 of
The sixth step 550 involves the player choosing to play again or stop playing. As noted above, if all outcomes from the pool in the smart card microprocessor 241 have been generated, the player will be forced to stop play until a new smart card with a new pool can be installed in the gaming device 250.
In some jurisdictions, there may be a requirement to print a paper receipt showing the game outcome(s) in addition to showing the outcome(s) in the gaming device 250 game display. This paper receipt may also be generated at the request of the player but in either case it is just a printed record of the predetermined outcome and has no effect on gameplay or game results.
In the illustrative database records a game entitled Exciting Slots has two separate pools 610 and 620 each containing 1,000,000 outcomes that have been generated from different seeds and installed in two different smart card microprocessors 241 as indicated by the unique chip serial numbers in each record. In other illustrative records, a game entitled Bonus Slots has two separate pools of 500,000 outcomes that together make up total combined pool of 1,000,000 outcomes with both pools installed on the same smart card microprocessor 241 as illustrated by their matching chip serial numbers 630. In yet another possible embodiment not shown in
In light of the above description, a number of advantages in the present invention can be seen. The invention provides for physical distribution of predetermined outcome pools for use with gaming devices involving smart cards and use of pseudo random number generators to overcome the inherent limitation of storing very large amounts of game pool data that would otherwise be required if every outcome were to be stored individually in the smart card. This advantage in efficient use of memory for very large pools of predetermined game outcome pools also enables the conversion of existing slot machine games from operating based on true random chance to instead operate on predetermined outcomes without any impact to the player's game play experience as will now be described.
As is well understood in the gaming industry, slot machine players typically play at very high rate where it can be common to generate outcomes every few seconds resulting in thousands of outcomes per hour. As previously noted, smart cards typically include a limited amount of memory. With the present invention, individual outcomes are not stored within the smart card thereby avoiding this limitation. In addition, the conversion of an existing successful slot game that was designed to operate on a traditional or true RNG (as opposed to a PRNG) can be accomplished very easily via the present invention by first implementing the game rules of the game in the secure computing environment 201 and smart card microprocessor 241. Next, creating a very large predetermined outcome pool from the game, for example 100,000,000 can be accomplished in minutes or even seconds using today's high powered computing environments. With the smart card then manufactured and containing the seed used in generating the predetermined pool as described earlier, the slot machine hardware and software can be modified to accept outcomes generated by the smart card instead of through a true RNG. It should be noted that a pool of outcomes which are generated using a well-designed PRNG algorithm may be considered predetermined by a gaming laws or regulations, however, those outcomes will indistinguishable to a player who is accustomed to playing the same game using a true RNG where the outcomes are dynamically generated.
A number of variations and modifications in the invention can be used. It is possible to use some aspects of the invention without using others. For example, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art, an alternative embodiment could involve the installation of the game rules on the gaming device 250 instead of on the smart card microprocessor 241 as described previously. In this alternative embodiment, the PRNG continues to be the source of random numbers that together with the game rules determine the game outcomes, but the calculation of the outcomes takes place on the gaming device 250 instead of within the smart card. In yet another embodiment, the game rules may implement the game of bingo where a combination of bingo number draws and bingo cards are matched to determine outcomes. And in yet another alternative embodiment bingo number draws from bingo sessions are captured in a pool to be played back in the future from the smart card for those games that allow for historical bingo draws to determine winning and losing outcomes. Another embodiment similar to the previous bingo example is the game of keno where keno number draws from keno sessions are captured in a pool to be played back in the future from the smart card where historical keno draws are used to determine winning and losing outcomes. Games involving other types of pools of predetermined outcomes such as electronic instant-win games or “eInstants” may also be easily implemented with the present invention.
The embodiments described above are implemented using the smart card microprocessor 241. However, the form factor for smart cards and their associated microprocessor may vary with different applications. For example, a smart card used in mobile telephony is often referred to as a subscriber identity module or “SIM” card and comes in several different sizes as defined in the ISO/IEC 7810:2003 standard. While the sizes differ, the underlying capabilities of the microprocessors used in each are the same. The smart card discussed herein is intended to include any of these alternative form factors.
In addition, as will be evident to one skilled in the art, smart cards include capabilities for securely updating their memory such that it would be possible to add a new seed to an existing card to enable a new pool of game outcomes to be generated by that card without physically replacing that card with a new card. This alternative embodiment would address the problem of gameplay where the play count is equal to the pool size and gaming has stopped.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/357,793 filed Jul. 1, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6790143 | Crumby | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 7563163 | Crumby | Jul 2009 | B2 |
| 10529187 | Irwin, Jr. et al. | Jan 2020 | B2 |
| 10593153 | Shenker et al. | Mar 2020 | B2 |
| 11263869 | Lindelsee et al. | Mar 2022 | B2 |
| 11726772 | Mooney | Aug 2023 | B2 |
| 20030130029 | Crumby | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20040166942 | Muir | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20060247064 | Nguyen | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20110003627 | Nicely | Jan 2011 | A1 |
| 20110081971 | Herrmann | Apr 2011 | A1 |
| 20170039798 | Walker | Feb 2017 | A1 |
| 20180005490 | Reddicks | Jan 2018 | A1 |
| 20200402367 | Oberberger | Dec 2020 | A1 |
| 20220062745 | Hennessy | Mar 2022 | A1 |
| 20220270433 | Nelson | Aug 2022 | A1 |
| 20220351571 | Blackwelder | Nov 2022 | A1 |
| Entry |
|---|
| Wikipedia entry for “Smart card” downloaded from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_card>, last edited: May 17, 2023. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63357793 | Jul 2022 | US |
