Developments in Electronic Gaming Product Standards. Bev Mehmel Manitoba Lotteries

Transcription

1 Developments in Electronic Gaming Product Standards Bev Mehmel Manitoba Lotteries

2 Overview Globalization of everything increased competition for our business around the world Increased ways to connect online, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Bringing people, businesses, nations together... Access to the internet in our homes, offices, cars, planes, coffee shops and parks Influence on gambling: Offers more platforms through which gambling can be offered to players Expansion has been facilitated by development of standard communication protocols, language and development tools

3 Overview Responsible gambling is becoming mainstream Increasing focus on Responsible Gambling has been a driver of technological innovation RG is now being built into product design, development and operations Increasing recognition of the commercial and social benefits of RG Research & development dollars are being focused on RG technologies that span product lines Canadian leadership in this area: Gaming vendors looking to incorporate RG in new products Products being developed with integrated RG features, e.g. player cards, account based gaming, predictive analytics software, internet gaming

4 Technology Lag Technology-wise, the gaming industry has lagged behind other industries by 7 to 10 years. Due primarily to proprietary systems and equipment... (think DVD vs. BluRay, VHS vs. Beta video tapes, and so on)

5 The Slow Speed of Innovation Here s why innovation has been slow

6 So What? Absence of common communication standards for the gaming industry has stifled innovation and the introduction of new technology in the gaming industry Other industries have shown that a common open means of communicating is the only way for that industry to grow and become successful Internet, Telecommunications, etc.

7 Towards Standardization : Gaming Standards Association s (GSA) works on development of new Responsible Gaming Communication Protocol (or standard) for electronic gaming machine manufacturers and systems developers. ILC RG Sub-Committee* provides input as part of Canadian input into development of RG communication protocol This new communication protocol standard details how and what information needs to flow back and forth between gaming systems (hosts) and electronic gaming devices to support RG tools and features in future So what is the GSA? And what will all this mean? * Comprised of senior RG representatives from all provincial gaming jurisdictions in Canada.

8 The Role of the Gaming Standards Association (GSA) GSA Develops Communication Standards GSA develops Communication technical standards designed specifically for the Gaming industry. GSA does not develop Regulatory standards GSA does not design gaming applications GSA does not write gaming software

9 G2S is an open standard

10 GSA s 3 Communication Protocols Three communication protocols which will replace existing communication architecture in gaming operations: S2S = System to System G2S = Game to System GDS = Gaming Device Standard will replace the existing communication architecture in gaming operations. G2S includes the Informed Player Class providing for RG functionality to be built into EGMs and back of house systems in the future

11 G2S allows all games and systems to speak the same language

12 GSA Gaming System Architecture GDS CMS/SMS Systems Gaming Floor G2S Library and Approval System S2S POS Systems Data Warehouse Hotel Systems Game Storage Transaction Manager Outcome Manager Ticket Systems Content Mgt Systems

13 GSA s Informed Player Class Communication capabilities: Players should have access to information regarding their current and prior play Players should be able to set limiting criteria for their individual play Process in place to communicate information related to a player s gaming activities to authorized entities. Ability to stop play on any EGM for any reason including reasons related to a Responsible Gaming program and limiting criteria supplied by a patron.

14 GSA Informed Player Class Details: Player Interface EGD (Electronic Gaming Device) capable of a player ID interface (magnetic strip card, USB flash drive, or biometric reader) to identify and track a player s gaming activity. Gaming system should be capable of requiring either mandatory or voluntary usage of the player interface. Enrolment Process System capable of supporting either anonymous or identified player enrollment. Acceptable ID required to complete enrolment process (to ensure participants in the Voluntary Exclusion program won t be included)

15 GSA Informed Player Class - Details: Gaming System Requirements The gaming system should be capable of supporting both mandatory and voluntary settings for the various RGFs, e.g. time and money limit setting, self-exclusion periods, predictive analytics. The gaming system should be capable of allowing both user defined and gaming corporation defined RGFs settings. Personal Set-up If the use of the RGFs settings is voluntary, the player is free to choose whether or not to use these features. If the use of RGF settings is mandatory, the player would be required complete the required fields before the player interface would be enabled for play.

16 GSA Informed Player Class Details: Limit Setting (Time Played + Win/Loss) Ability for player to pre-set limits for time played and win/loss limits for EGDs (can be determined through player tracking information) Host system must be capable of communicating the pre-set limits and related player info to other host systems (back and forth) Access to Player Information Players could request limit status information for a period selected by player (or by the operator). Voluntary Exclusion Capacity for player to self-exclude themselves from playing EGDs across the network for a pre-set duration of time or multiple time periods.

17 GSA Informed Player Class Details: Predictive Analytics Capacity for the host server to monitor and report EGD players current and historical spending and play behavior data in real time was discussed. This may be accomplished through the use of an application (beyond the scope of GSA protocols). GSA protocols already in place would support the communication of this information.

18 GSA Informed Player Class Details: Data Monitoring and Reporting The host system should have the capability to monitor the players spending and play behaviour during a live play session. Data could be communicated to supply the host monitoring system with the data necessary to evaluate a player s play. Delivering these in real time can be a challenge depending on the bandwidth of the network.

19 GSA Informed Player Class Details: RG Messaging The host system should have the capability for the operator to display on screen responsible gambling messages to the player. Account Summary Players should have access to current and historical EGD play. The GSA protocol may need to be extended to convey this particular information to the site controller and the EGD.

20 Importance to Canadian Gaming Jurisdictions: A priority project of the ILC RG Sub-Committee is to identify, endorse and in some cases, develop standards for responsible gaming for the Canadian gaming jurisdictions. Importance of GSA Informed Player Class: Supports consistent, standardized approaches to responsible gaming delivered through future-facing technology World-wide recognition by gaming suppliers, regulators, and gaming operators

21 Developments in Electronic Gaming Product Standards Bev Mehmel Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Manitoba Lotteries