Recruitment. Love it or hate it, this is where it all starts if you want to attract top talent for your agency. But there’s so much more to recruitment than job postings and hiring recruiters. It’s in the recruitment phase that the first bit of onboarding starts. While it is 100% the candidate’s responsibility to find out as much as possible about the agency he wants to join, why not show your values and culture even at the earliest stages and make it easier for them?
We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us
– Simon Sinek, Author of ’’Start with Why’’
It’s no secret that even the most basic one-page websites have an “about us” section. But imagine being a top talent developer or specialist looking for new opportunities. They might go through 50 “about us” pages every day. Does your mission and vision statement stand out of the crowd? Do you communicate having a culture that provides a constant stream of challenging problems to solve? Do you have a hilarious video of your founder switching places with your human-sized-rabbit-office-mascot and shooting confetti at your unsuspecting support staff?
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Do you want to show your values to potential clients? Then video is the way to go. It doesn’t have to be a big production – the only thing it has to do, is to show your company values and culture.
Letting your mission, vision and culture shine through in your recruiting process helps you immensely in not only standing out from the crowd, but also in attracting the right people for your company.
Before we start our deep dive into the obvious and not-so-obvious ways of attracting and retaining top talent, let’s take a moment to define:
What exactly is top talent?
Top talent is one of those terms that does not have a clear cut definition that people can point to. However, when talking about the agency world, there are certain characteristics that come up time and time again when discussing high performers:
Skill – The go-to metric for determining top talent. Whether it’s due to natural talent or 10,000 hours of practice, if someone is exceptionally skilled, they are on the best possible path to be considered top talent at any agency.
Ambition – The goal to become the top of their field. Ambition drives people to always keep up with the newest trends and developments in their field and continuously improve their skills.
Integrity – When they say something will get done, it gets done at all costs. And if both the managers and team members know they can count on someone when the going gets tough, that person becomes irreplaceable.
Communication – Knowing how to clearly communicate with managers and executives that speak the language of money on one side, while communicating with the technical team members who speak in code and high fidelity mockups on the other is a skill that should be paid in gold.
Teamwork – Everyone can excel at their individual tasks, but sharing a task or working efficiently in a team is a must-have for those that want to become the top performers in any agency
Creativity – Some creatives are a constant source of ideas during a brainstorming session. Some always see a problem from 3 more angles than everyone else. And while creativity manifests in a lot of ways, sometimes it’s the main thing behind a person’s top-talent status.
Leadership – Leadership is not just a skill for managers or team leads. People who join fresh out of college can find themselves at the top of the pyramid in any team within a few months, even with no direct effort. If an individual is approachable, facilitates a good workflow, or solves problems with a leveled head, they will soon become respected by their peers as a leader, even with no title involved.
Devotion – The green ’’you can talk to me’’-light next to the monitor turns red. The headphones go on. 6 hours, 3 cups of coffee, 1 missed lunch, and a single stretching session later, one individual just saved a 10-person project from being one week late. That’s how people become legends. And top talent.
Being considered top talent does not mean that a person has to have all of these qualities fully formed. It doesn’t even mean that top talent and top performers have to achieve all of these qualities eventually. A person who fully masters 3-4 of these qualities should quickly rise to become a prime asset to any agency. And if your agency finds itself hiring a person that displays most or all of these qualities, then you should do everything you can to keep them around until they decide it’s time to retire.
Testing phases within the Gaming Software Development Lifecycle
Test types during the gaming quality assurance phase
Compliance testing is a very involved process. There are lengthy submission forms to be filled and ITL compliance fees are often much higher than gaming quality assurance testing fees. Therefore, prior to submitting a product to an ITL, a machine manufacturer should ensure the quality of the product being submitted by performing gaming quality assurance testing.
Gaming quality assurance testing activities align with the fundamental test process. The following test activities are performed to ensure the product is tested for quality:
Test planning
Test monitoring and control
Test analysis
Test design
Test implementation
Test execution
Test completion
Gaming quality assurance testing is an iterative process with development. Defects are logged and then the product is returned to development to fix the logged defects. Once the logged defects are fixed, the product comes back to gaming quality assurance for further testing. This cycle continues until the product reaches the quality levels desired, as defined by the gaming quality assurance testing exit criteria.
The test types performed during gaming quality assurance testing include, but are not limited to:
Localisation testing – testing to determine that all screens have proper language translations and any other localisation items such as date/time or numbering formats are done correctly.
Functional testing – testing to determine that all functions work as designed and intended.
Performance testing – testing to determine that response time is acceptable.
Memory leak testing – testing to determine no performance issues arise due to lack of proper memory management by the software.
Install-ability testing – testing to determine that the product can be easily installed by the casino operator without any issues.
Portability testing – testing to determine that the product can be installed on all platforms it needs to run on.
System integration testing – testing to determine that the product can integrate with systems/components, different versions of an application interface or able to communicate to a system.
Operational testing – testing to determine that the product can function and be operated in a production environment, including reliability, security, recovery and failover testing.
Pre-compliance testing – testing to determine that all the regulations and standards are met prior to submitting the product to the ITL. This helps ensure a minimal number of submissions of the product to compliance testing.
Customer acceptance testing – Prior to submitting to compliance testing, some products are submitted to the client (i.e., lottery or casino) for customer acceptance testing to ensure all features function as the client expected.
Compliance testing
Compliance testing occurs when a machine manufacturer wants to enter a jurisdiction with a new or modified product, be it a game, platform, hardware or system. Based on the jurisdiction, the machine manufacturer needs to submit the product with a request for certification to either an ITL or government-based compliance test lab. In some jurisdictions, it goes through both.
The formal submission documents are fully detailed, what is being submitted and what certifications are being requested for the product.
Once the product has passed compliance testing, the test lab will provide a certificate of compliance evidencing the certification of the rules and regulations that were to be met.
Once the regulatory commission has seen proof of the required certifications, it will allow the product to be installed in the gambling establishments in their jurisdictions.
When performing compliance testing, standard test plans are created and specific compliance checklists are used. These may include, but are not limited to:
Jurisdictional specifications – usually defined by a governing body such as the federal, state and/or provincial government.
ITL defined standards – defined by an ITL in the gambling industry.
Other gaming related standards – some jurisdictions require other standards be adhered to. For example, some jurisdictions may require that gaming machines and systems in a jurisdiction are Game to System (G2S) protocol compliant. The G2S compliance checklist is defined by the Gaming Standards Association, the association that has defined the G2S protocol.
Many areas of the compliance testing will be the same as those performed in gaming quality assurance testing, but they are tested against the jurisdictional specifications and not the game specifications. Some of the areas that are covered during compliance testing include:
Rules of play – testing to determine that the rules meet the jurisdictional specifications.
RNG, Payout Percentages, odds and non-cash awards – testing to determine that the payout percentage is within the range regulated in that jurisdiction.
Bonus games – testing to determine that the game meets bonus regulations.
Electronic metering – testing to determine that all meters required to be monitored within that jurisdiction are being reported.
Game history – testing to determine that the game history tracks, at a minimum, the number of games required by the jurisdiction.
Power-up and power-down – testing to determine that the power up and down functionality works as per the jurisdictional specifications.
Setup and Configuration – testing to determine that only configurations that are permitted within the jurisdiction can be enabled.
The Gaming Ecosystem
The gaming industry ecosystem overview
The gaming industry ecosystem is composed of the following organisations:
Game Developers – develop casino games not specific to a gaming machine model. These games are usually distributed by a manufacturer or casino.
Machine Manufacturers – make and sell the hardware, platforms, operating systems and games, developed in house or sub-contracted.
Independent Test Labs – test and certify that the game software, hardware, firmware, platform and operating system follow all the jurisdictional rules for each location where the game will be played.
Regulatory Commissions – approve every game played in their jurisdiction after the ITL certifies that the game meets the commission’s jurisdictional specifications.
The regulatory commission licenses the machine manufacturer to deploy the game in casinos or on online gaming sites in that specific jurisdiction. A game may be shipped to a casino before licensing; however, it cannot be deployed. The game must be licensed by the regulatory commission before it is deployed into the jurisdiction. Should any major defects be found in the casino, the regulatory commission can force the machine manufacturer to pull their game out of all casinos or demand that the online sites remove access to the game in that jurisdiction.
Video lottery terminals and their ecosystem
As indicated by the name, VLTs always have a video display for the game. VLTs either have standalone or server-based outcome architectures. In the standalone model, each VLT contains an RNG from which game outcomes are generated. In the server-based outcome architecture, VLTs obtain their outcomes from the server. This architecture has two possible models: the RNG model or the pre-determined finite pool model. In the server-based RNG model, the server generates the outcome it will provide to the VLT using an RNG located in the host. In the pre-determined finite pool model, the server obtains the outcome from a database of pre-determined outcomes. This model is similar to instant tickets and is often referred to as electronic instant tickets.
The types of games typically found on a VLT are: mechanical reel games, poker games and keno games. Most VLTs are multi-game machines, meaning multiple games are available for a player to choose from through a screen menu.
VLTs are frequently operated in a distributed environment over a Wide Area Network. For example, a few VLTs deployed in bars and/or pubs are connected to a central server through a Wide Area Network connection.
The VLT ecosystem is composed of:
The EGM
The site controller and/or bank controller
The systems/servers used for monitoring and/or managing functionality
The EGMs are the machines on which the players choose to play the games. Each machine communicates to a site controller and/or bank controller and one or more central servers through a communication interface board using an electronic communication language referred to as a protocol. When VLTs are installed in a distributed environment, each retail location has a site controller to which the VLTs at that location are connected. The site controller serves multiple functions:
Communicates and monitors VLTs to ensure they are online.
Records game play transactions, cash-in/cash-out transactions and security exceptions.
May act as a protocol converter by translating the protocol implemented on the VLT to the protocol understood by the central server.
Provide retailers with the ability to:
Register players for player tracking cards
Validate and pay out cash tickets
When VLTs are installed in a venue environment (i.e., a non-distributed environment), they are connected to a bank controller which functions like a site controller minus the retailer functions. A bank controller can support connection of several hundred VLTs, whereas one site controller typically supports fewer than 100 connected VLTs.
The VLTs and bank controllers and/or site controllers are connected to various central servers based on the functionality offered by a jurisdiction. At a minimum, VLTs installed in a venue environment include the following:
A casino accounting system, which is responsible for monitoring the amounts wagered and paid on each VLT.
A VLT CMS, which provides the ability to monitor game play, track, record and report security exceptions at the VLT and/or site controller, and monitor network availability in order to ensure continuous VLT operations in the event of communication loss.
Other central servers may include additional features, not limited to:
A cashless wagering server, which allows for cashless transactions either through ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) functionality or through electronic funds transfer (EFT).
A distributed game content management server, which controls the selection, scheduling, distribution and auditing of VLT software to VLTs at remote retail sites.
A player services server, which supports player loyalty, player rewards and responsible gaming functionality.
A progressive server, which manages progressive game play.
A business intelligence server, which provides data warehousing and business analytics.
The other servers available are based on the functionality offered in the jurisdiction.
Slot machines and their ecosystem
Slot machines may have a video display or mechanical reels which have actual physical reels that spin.
Slot machines outcome architectures come from the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a 1988 US Federal law that establishes the jurisdictional framework that governs Indian Gaming in the US, This law provides definitions for Class I, Class II and Class III architectures. Class I relates to traditional Indian gaming and will not be discussed further in the context of casino gaming. Class II and Class III define the two outcome architectures used by slot machines. Class II (also know as electronic bingo) is defined in the Act as “the game of chance commonly known as bingo whether or not electronic, computer or other technological aids are used”. Class III (also known as traditional slot machines) has a broad definition in the Act. It states “all forms of games that are neither Class I nor Class II. Games commonly played at casinos, such as slot machines and table games, e.g., blackjack, craps, roulette, etc., fall in the Class III category.
The types of games typically found on a slot machine are: mechanical reel games, bingo games, poker games and keno games. Many slot machines are single-game machines, meaning only one game is available for play on the gaming machine.
Slot machines are typically operated in a venue environment such as a casino.
Slot machines (also known as Vegas style slot machines) are:
Casino gaming machines with mechanical reels or a video display.
Machines that have an RNG that is local to that machine.
Machines usually include a currency input device, such as a coin acceptor or a note acceptor, and a currency output device, such as a coin hopper.
The slot machine ecosystem is composed of:
The slot machines
A slot machine interface board (SMIB)
A data collection unit or bank controller
Central servers
Each slot machine contains an SMIB that is linked to the data collection unit or bank controller. Historically, an SMIB was a small board that was put into every mechanical or electro-mechanical machines. These early SMIBs connected to a wiring harness that would detect when a mechanical meter was incremented, or a mechanical door switch was opened. As time passed, these SMIBs evolved and now communicate electronically with the gaming machine and are often responsible for implementing the protocol that is used to communicate with the data collection unit or bank controllers and the remote central servers. The SMIBs, at a minimum, capture:
The amounts wagered by the player.
The amounts paid out to the player.
And if the player is using a player card, any player data tracked by the casino.
Data collection units or bank controllers, as suggested by the name, are used to collect and store the data obtained from the SMIBs.
The data collected by the data collection unit or bank controller is communicated to the servers to update the data needed for the functionality provided by the servers.
Bingo machines (also know as electronic bingo machines), are:
Machines that look and feel like slot games but are actually a game of electronic bingo.
Machines on which the outcomes are obtained from a centralised bingo server.
Machines that offer cashless input methods such as TITO or EFT. These gambling machines do not have currency input/output devices.
Machines on which the games:
Are played exclusively against other players rather than against the house or against a player acting as a bank.
Are based on multiple players playing for a common prize.
Continue until there is a winner.
Each bingo machine contains an SMIB that is linked to the bingo server and other servers. The SMIBs, at a minimum, capture:
The amounts wagered by the player.
The outcome obtained from the server and the corresponding results.
The amount paid out to the player.
The Network Switches are used to provide multi-player capabilities. Once a minimum number of players required for a specific game is met, the actual bingo game can start. The bingo server is the system that allows players to join a game until the group is at the minimum required and that provides the outcomes to the slot machines.
There are other central servers, such as the casino accounting server that tracks the amounts wagered and amount won, and the reporting server that allows the casino operators to report on the collected data.
Lottery and its ecosystem
The lottery ecosystem is composed of systems and devices deployed at the lottery and at each retail location.
The main device is the point of sale (POS) lottery terminal. The POS lottery terminal facilitates the sale of traditional lottery tickets by allowing the retail employee to either scan a selection slip containing the player selected numbers, or to select a Quick Pick option where the POS lottery terminal randomly selects numbers for the player. The POS lottery terminal then prints the tickets on the attached printer. The POS lottery terminal facilitates the sale of instant tickets by scanning the instant ticket sold. The attached customer display unit (CDU) allows the customer to view all steps of the sales transaction. The POS lottery terminal must coordinate all lottery ticket sale transactions with the lottery CMS. The POS Lottery terminal, printer and CDU/PDU unit are either separate devices or, in some cases, these devices can be integrated into one unit. When a player is ready to validate a ticket, the player can choose to have the retail employee scan the ticket using the POS Lottery terminal or perform the validating themselves on a POS Self-Serve Terminal.
The final device at the retail location is the multimedia display. The multimedia display is used for in-store advertising of lottery products, upcoming lottery promotions and winning numbers.
Once the numbers are drawn, the numbers are entered into the lottery CMS. Using the data stored in the database of the CMS, reports can be generated indicating how many winning traditional lottery tickets were sold and which retail location sold the ticket(s). For instant tickets, the barcode data of each ticket is stored in the CMS database. This allows the lottery employees to generate reports indicating how many tickets remain unsold and manage replenishment of physical tickets to retailers. The lottery CMS is responsible for storing all transactional data of tickets sold at each retail location. It also manages the advertising content to be displayed on the multimedia display units at the retail locations and downloads the appropriate content to the POS lottery terminal from which the multimedia display unit displays the content.
Lotteries are beginning to introduce alternative means by which to purchase lottery tickets. For example, purchases can be made at self-serve vending machines for instant tickets, self-serve ATMs like kiosks for traditional lottery tickets or online at their website for lottery tickets. These alternative devices and components must also coordinate all sale transactions with the lottery CMS.
Some of the areas that are covered during functional testing of the lottery ecosystem include:
Online game rules and functionality.
Scratch ticket management.
Player account management.
Geolocation functionality.
Player services manager.
Multi-player gaming
Player loyalty and rewards.
Account based play “cashless”.
Responsible gaming functionality
Game play functionality and playability.
RNG algorithm and math rules.
Artwork versus requirements
Host accounting and reporting – determine that the game pays out what it should and that the money at play goes to the client if they win, or to the casino if the client loses.
Tournament and real time event setup and management.
Multiple game engines functionality and capabilities.
Integrations with external gaming sites and mobile devices.
Being a gaming industry tester means that you must understand both testing in general, and the unique set of skills for the gaming industry ecosystem. This ecosystem is filled with proprietary, complex, multifaceted gaming software, hardware, platforms, firmware and operating systems. The objective of this article is to provide the regular Tester graduates with the specific knowledge that is required for a career in gaming industry testing.
Why the gaming industry requires a specialist tester
Some of the specific testing for the gaming industry, not present in other testing areas, include the following:
1. Gaming industry ecosystem – The unique hardware, firmware and operating systems that are proprietary to the gaming industry.
2. Gaming industry compliance testing – There are over 440 different certification boards worldwide for gaming industry games. These boards have rules that games in the gaming industry must comply with. These rules impact hardware, software, platform, operating systems, visual and auditory functionality, mathematics, and return to player (RTP) calculations. One gaming industry game can be played in multiple gaming jurisdictions and needs to comply with the laws of each location.
3. Fun factor or player perspective testing – This is something unique to gaming industry games, since they are an entertainment product. Not only are casino games supposed to work intuitively and provide the player pleasure, they must also be fun to play. This requires a unique insight into game design, with experience and information about the user group and what that group enjoys.
4. Math testing – Testing the multitude of pay tables, permutations, Random Number Generator (RNG) results and RTP computations. This type of testing requires the tester to understand what triggers different types of payout behaviour and to understand financial return to the player and how these triggers can be treated by different parameters. Understanding math testing is critical to succeed in this field.
5. Audio testing – Creating sound or playing media is common in software. However, gaming industry game music must engage the user in the game and enhance the game play. Not only should the audio play without stuttering or missing elements, it should also add to the game play. This requires extensive audio skills and specific understanding of game audio.
6. Multiplayer testing – This type of testing is performed when many players are simultaneously interacting with casino games, with computer-controlled opponents, with game servers, and with each other. Typical risk-based testing is followed to ensure against using unlimited amounts of time testing different scenarios. Understanding multiplayer game design, and how to test it efficiently, is required knowledge for this type of testing.
7. Interoperability Testing is common in all software that communicates with other software, systems and/or components. Casino/Video Lottery games have a unique aspect in that they must implement interoperability using gaming industry open protocol standards or proprietary protocols as per the specifications of the central server deployed in the jurisdiction to which the game is deployed.
Gaming Activities and Artefacts
Background
To understand gaming industry testing and its ecosystem specificities requires a review of the business model, activities, and artefacts as they pertain to the gaming industry.
What is gaming?
Gaming can be defined as follows:
The wagering of money or something of value, also called stakes, on an event
Where the outcome of the event is unknown
Where the whole intent is winning additional money, material goods or trips
What is a gaming machine? A gaming machine is a machine that enables the wagering of money or something of value. Examples of gaming machines are: electronic or mechanical slot machines, a roulette table or even a computer for online gaming.
Types of Gaming
Casino games
There are three categories of casino games: table games, electronic gaming machines (EGMs) and random number ticket games.
Examples of table games are roulette, blackjack, baccarat or poker, which typically are not tested unless they are an electronic table game version of these games.
The second group are EGMs, typically known as video lottery terminals (VLTs) or slot machines. These are usually played by one player at a time and do not require the involvement of casino employees to play. These games need to be tested, i.e., the game software, the machines, the operating systems, and platforms that they are based on.
VLTs and slot machines are both gaming machines that allow players to bet on the outcome of a game. Physically, VLTs and slot machines are very similar in nature. The main difference between a VLT and a slot machine is that VLTs are gaming machines that are operated by government lotteries while slot machines are gaming machines operated by private organisations such as casinos.
Both VLTs and slot machines are regulated and require licenses to be operated within their jurisdictions. Many countries around the world offer legalised VLT or slot play. For example:
In the United States, a 1988 federal law established three classes of games for Native American casinos, with different regulatory schemes for each. Each state government follows variations of these classes to define their regulations.
In Canada, the provincial or territorial governments are responsible for regulating gaming operations. All provinces offer the ability to play, each with their own regulations.
In Australia, the laws regulating the use of gaming machines are the responsibility of the state governments.
Other terms by which a VLT and slot machine are referred to: EGM, Video Gaming Terminal, Video Gaming Device, Video Slot Machines and Interactive Video Terminal.
The third casino game category is random number ticket games such as Keno and simulated racing. These games are based on the selection of random numbers, either from a computerised RNG or from other gaming equipment.
Lottery systems
A lottery is a form of gaming that involves selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to holders of winning tickets. The prize can be a fixed amount of cash or goods, but more commonly, the prize fund is a fixed percentage of the revenues from the tickets sold.
There are typically two-forms of lottery products sold: traditional lottery tickets and instant tickets.
Traditional lottery tickets are numbered tickets that are sold for regularly scheduled draws, most often weekly. On the draw date, random numbers are drawn either using a ball drop machine or electronically. Most lotteries that have moved to electronic draws still have ball drop machines as a backup in case of failures with the software solution. Once the numbers are drawn from the ball drop machine, they are entered into the lottery central management system (CMS).
The chances of winning a lottery jackpot can vary widely depending on the lottery design, and are determined by several factors, including:
The count of possible numbers
The count of winning numbers drawn
Whether or not the order is significant
Whether drawn numbers are returned for the possibility of further drawing
Instant tickets are numbered tickets from a pre-determined finite pool of outcomes. The most common form of instant tickets is the scratch card. Scratch cards are typically made of paper, with the outcome printed and hidden by an opaque substance that needs to be scratched off, hence the name of these tickets. The cards usually present the information in the form of a game, such as Tic-Tac-Toe, Bingo, Crossword or some other puzzle, to help add entertainment value. A variation of the scratch card is the break-open (also know as pull-tab) ticket in which, instead of scratching off an opaque substance to reveal the outcome, the player opens a perforated cardboard cover which is hiding the outcome. Since outcomes of scratch and break-open tickets are pre-determined, the cards do not need to be scratched or opened to be validated.
A barcode on the ticket can be scanned by the lottery CMS to determine if it is a winner or not. The scratching or breaking open is there for entertainment value to the player only.
The chances of winning on a scratch card are typically much higher than on a traditional lottery, but prize amounts are typically much smaller. The probability of winning on a scratch card can be calculated using the odds found on the back of the scratch ticket.
When it comes to lottery operations, it is critical that all parties are confident with the process. For everyone involved, including players, to feel confident, those running the lottery operations must acquire and uphold a secure environment that is documented and accessible. To address this, the Security Control Standard was put in place by the World Lottery Association and lottery organisations are audited against this standard on a regular basis.
Race and sports gaming
Race and sports wagering is also called sports betting. It is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. Although most sports betting wagers are placed against amateur and professional level sports, sports betting is sometimes extended to non-athletic events such as reality show contests and political elections, or sometimes to non-human athletics such as horse racing and greyhound racing.
Sports betting can be performed at the sports betting outlet in a casino, with bookmakers (also know as a sports-book) or online through a computer or mobile device. The types of sports bets include:
Money-line Bet
Spread Betting
Proposition Bet
Over / Under Bet
Parlay
Progressive Parlay
Future Wager
Money-line bets (also known as win bets) are bets in sports wagering. It is one of the most popular wagers that can be placed and is easy to understand. It is used in almost every sport a player can bet on and is a wager on who the player thinks is going to win a match, game or other event. It does not have a spread or handicap (explained below). It should be noted that the predicted winner, i.e., the competitor expected to win, pays lower odds then does an underdog.
Spread betting is defined as wagers that are made against the spread. The spread is a number assigned by the bookmaker which handicaps one team and favours another. This type of betting is similar to the Money-line win, in that the player is choosing which team he/she thinks will win, but there is a significant difference. A point spread is created to effectively make the two teams equal favourites in terms of betting. This means the player either backs the favourite to win by at least the size of the spread, or the player backs the underdog to win or lose by no more than the size of the spread. For example, the odds for this week’s National Football League games are posted and the point spread in the Washington Redskins versus Dallas Cowboys game looks like this: Dallas-4.5 Washington +4.5. The favourite team is associated with a minus (-) value, so Dallas is favoured by 4.5 points in this game. Consequently, the underdog is shown with a plus (+) value, which means Washington are 4.5-point underdogs. A wager on Dallas would be made if a player believe Dallas can win the game by 5 points or more. So, if Dallas wins the game 20-14, then the team not only wins by 6 points but also covers the 4.5-point spread as the favourite. However, if Dallas wins the game 20-17, then they win by 3 points and have NOT covered the 4.5 points, but Washington has because they stayed within the spread.
Proposition bets (also known as Props or Specials) are wagers made on events that are not related to the final outcome. Example events are: who will win the first round of a boxing match or which team will score first in a match.
Over/Under bets (also known as Totals) are wagers made on whether an outcome will be under or over an estimated outcome set by the bookmaker. For example, how many three-point shots will LeBron James make tonight?
– Over 2.5 – Under 2.5
In this example, notice how the Prop takes the form of a traditional game total wager. This is a simple wager to understand – if the person making the wager thinks that LeBron James can make three or more three-point shots tonight, bet on the over. If the player making the wager thinks LeBron cannot do that, take the under.
There are specific odds for both the over and under bet. Payments depend on the odds at the time the bet is made.
Parlays (also known as accumulators) involve multiple bets and rewards a successful player with a large payout. These types of bets are hard to predict because they involve making more than one selection as part of a single wager. For example, the player might place a single wager on what team will win the next five football matches. If the player successfully wagers, the payout is substantially higher than if the player had wagered on each game separately. The downside is that the player would lose his/her complete wager if the team he/she selected lost any one of the five games. Based on the number of selections, the parlay can receive a unique name. For example, “Double” when it contains two games, or “Treble” when it is composed of three games.
Progressive Parlays are similar to parlays in that they involve making more than one selection as part of a single wager. However, they differ from a Parlay in that a player will be rewarded even if some of the bets lose. If all bets are won, the player will be awarded the full payout which is not as large as a regular parlay but will receive a reduced payout if some of the selections within the parlay lose.
Future Wagers (also known as Outright wagers) are wagers placed on future events. Although all sports wagers are on future events, with a future bet, there is a long-term horizon measured in weeks or months. Future wagers usually are made before the season starts. Winning bets will not pay off until the end of the season. For example, the player might make a futures wager on a team winning the National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup. The wager must be placed before the regular NHL season begins and the payoff will not be made until after the Stanley Cup playoffs end.
Online and mobile gaming
Online gaming includes all areas of gaming offered via Internet, mobile, wireless in-venue, and interactive-TV channels. The online gaming space contains all the different types of gaming that have been discussed thus far, i.e., slot games, table games, lottery, and sports betting
Online gaming has become one of the most popular and lucrative businesses present on the internet. Legalisation of online gaming varies based on the type of online gaming product and the jurisdictions in which they are offered. For example, purchasing traditional lotto tickets through online websites is legal in many jurisdictions. However, not all jurisdictions have legalised casino style gaming such as poker or slot games through online gaming websites.
Mobile gaming is online gaming on a mobile device such as a tablet or smart phone. There are two types of mobile gaming. The first is the online gaming at casino websites that can be accessed through a mobile device either through a website or through a mobile app. The second is in-venue mobile gaming which allows on premise casinos to add mobile technology and content to their existing offerings. Products are accessible to players on the gaming machines on the casino floor and on mobile devices inside the casino.
For the online and mobile gaming ecosystem, the player needs to be able to access the casino’s online gaming products. This can be done in two ways:
Browser-based
Downloadable application
If the player chooses to play through a browser-based casino website, the games are available through the player’s browser while on the online casino’s website.
If the player chooses to play through a downloadable application, he/she must first install the online casino’s software to his/her computer or mobile device. This option usually offers better graphics, sound and game play than the browser-based option. Then, in order to play at the online casino, the player must have a means of transferring money to and from the online casino. This can be accomplished by an electronic wallet (also known as a digital wallet), such as PayPal. When performing mobile in-venue gaming, some casinos have internal electronic wallets as part of the casino management system which are often associated to a player’s account. In this scenario, the player would deposit funds into or withdraw funds from the casino’s electronic wallet solution at the cashier booth.
To ensure online or mobile gaming is performed only where it is legal, geolocation, micro-technology and triangulation are used to confirm the location of the player. Geolocation is the estimation of the real-world geographic location of an object, i.e., the computer or mobile device a player is using to play online gaming. Micro-location technology is used for in-venue mobile gaming. This technology works by using the casino’s existing WIFI network or Bluetooth beacons to give accuracy of a player’s location to within a few feet. For out-of-venue online gaming, some jurisdictions have decided on mobile phone triangulation to confirm the location of players. This triangulation method determines which cellular towers are closest to the player’s mobile phone and ensures that the player is in the right geographical location. Mobile phone triangulation technology is accurate to within a mile of where the client resides. Other jurisdictions have decided to use Wi-Fi to verify geolocation for out-of-venue online gaming. This geolocation technology is accurate to within a few feet of the user’s residence.
Individuals looking to circumvent restricting online gaming to specific locations use technical measures such as proxy servers to try to bypass restrictions imposed by geolocation software. Some online gaming sites can detect the use of proxies and anonymises and block their access to the online gaming systems.
Key Concepts in the Gaming Industry
Progressive jackpots
A progressive jackpot is a prize or payout which increases each time the game is played but the jackpot is not won. A small percentage of each wager placed by a player on the game contributes to the jackpot award amount. The game that the progressive jackpot is attached to can be any type of game (e.g., mechanical reels, poker, etc.).
When the progressive jackpot is won, the jackpot for the next play is reset to a predetermined value, and resumes increasing under the same conditions. The progressive jackpot win is often associated with the highest winning combination on the gaming machine in which it is being played. In order to win the progressive jackpot, in most games, the player needs to have placed a maximum bet as the wager for the play.
Progressive jackpots are available both on VLTs and slot machines. There are three types of progressive jackpots:
Standalone progressive
Local area linked progressive
Multi-site linked progressive
A standalone progressive has a jackpot on the individual EGM. Only bets placed on that specific EGM increment the jackpot. Local area linked progressives are games within a venue that are linked together to contribute to a common progressive jackpot. This type of jackpot is usually found in a casino. This type of network can include as few as a dozen EMGs and as many as hundreds of these. Multi-site (also known as Wide Area) linked progressives link gaming machines from multiple venues to participate in the progressive jackpot. Due to jurisdictional rules being different, Multi-site linked progressives usually only link machines within the same jurisdiction, often across casinos operated by the same organisation. However, some examples of multi-jurisdiction progressive jackpots exist. For example, in July 2006, the Multi-State Lottery Association in the US introduced the first multi-jurisdictional progressive jackpot called Ca$hola. This progressive jackpot linked EGMs at nine lottery run casinos; three in Delaware, two in Rhode Island, and four in West Virginia. This linked progressive was replaced in 2011 by the Megabits jackpot and now includes two additional states: Ohio and Maryland.
A linked progressive jackpot solution adds some additional devices to VLT and slot machine ecosystems:
A progressive jackpot display or sign
A progressive jackpot controller
A progressive jackpot server
The progressive jackpot display or sign is used to display the current amount of the progressive jackpot.
The progressive jackpot controller is used by the venue to manage the progressive jackpot. The jackpot controller links the games contributing to the progressive jackpot and communicates the jackpot value to the progressive jackpot display.
The progressive jackpot server is used to manage multiple jackpot controllers and different progressive jackpot games that may exist across a venue. It will also monitor and collect all progressive related data to allow for analytics and auditing of progressive jackpots.
Random Number Generator (RNG)
The Random Number Generator is a computational or physical device designed to generate a sequence of numbers that lack any pattern, so they are random, or they appear unrelated. RNGs are used in gaming, statistical sampling, computer simulations and other areas where producing an unpredictable result is desirable. Any machine-base gaming involves an RNG.
The RNG is a vital part of all gaming machine operations. Where unpredictability is essential, such as in security applications, hardware generators are generally preferred over pseudo-random algorithms.
The RNG is certified by either an ITL or by the jurisdiction’s regulatory board.
The win selection flow
The selection process or the “did I win?” process is another key concept of the gaming industry. All gaming machines such as EGMs use some type of win selection process to determine and display the outcome of the game. This means if the player pulls a lever or presses a button, something happens on the screen and then there’s an outcome that says “Yeah! I’ve won!” or” No, I’ve lost!”.
What is also important about the selection process is that it can be performed on the EGM itself or on a server. In some cases, the whole process from “spin the wheel”, “get a response”, “you won or lost” is done on a standalone EGM.
The technology being used and the specific jurisdictional rules of where the game is being played will influence the selection process and whether it is performed on the EGM or on the servers.
This selection process will involve the following:
Start of spin
A raw random number is generated by the RNG
The raw random number is scaled to a usable number
The number is mapped to a game element (e.g., is it a star? is it a 7? is it Wheel of Fortune?)
There is an evaluation of the outcome of the results of that random number generation
The prize is awarded to the player with that outcome. Either credits are taken away from the player in the case of a loss or credits are given because of a win.
There is a display of the outcome to the player
The prize is paid, if applicable
End of spin
Player privacy and geolocation
Privacy laws in most jurisdictions mandate that any player’s information being tracked, whether for responsible gaming or player loyalty program purposes, adheres to the storage and use of personal information regulations set forth by those laws. An example of testing player privacy is verifying that the solution makes the player information available to only those that should have access, and that any such information is encrypted when being transferred between devices and systems.
Some responsible gaming and player loyalty programs require knowing where the player is located. Testing this function consists of ensuring the geolocation functions accurately restrict play based on the rules mandated by the location from which the player is playing.
Regulatory commissions, jurisdictions and associations
Compliance testing is also called jurisdictional testing. Each jurisdiction has its own rules, regulations, guidelines (also known as regulatory or jurisdictional specifications or rules) that must be tested. This testing is usually performed by an ITL.
In the United States, there are over four hundred regulators and jurisdictions. Canada has at least one per province. South America has at least one jurisdiction per country that has legalised gaming. Europe, Asia and Africa also usually have one jurisdiction per country. Germany has lottery companies by province. Australia has at least one per state. Within these jurisdictions, there is usually an organisation that is responsible for issuing licenses and regulating the licensee or the people who have the licensee. These organisations are typically known as licensing authorities.
Every jurisdiction controls the potential manufactures who need a licensee to operate in that jurisdiction. Manufactures cannot legally operate in any jurisdiction where they do not have a licensee. If a product fails compliance testing, it must be fixed and returned to the ITL for certification testing until it passes 100% of the mandatory certification tests. The product can be returned many times before it passes the compliance tests.
Before gaming products are ready for compliance testing, a full range of gaming QA testing must occur. Some examples of test types and test techniques that are done for the gaming industry includes exploratory testing, functional testing, regression testing, pre-compliance testing, system integration testing, performance testing, penetration testing and failover testing.
Gaming Industry Metrics
Background
Gaming industry testing uses many of the common test metrics. However, there are a few that are specific to the gaming industry.
First pass percentage
First pass percentage identifies the percentage of games that receive certification from the ITL on the first submission of the product.
The importance of receiving a first pass for a gaming product is related to both product cost and its time-to-market. If the product does not receive a first pass, there are extra costs for additional development, testing and product certification. A gaming product that does not receive a first pass is delayed from entering the market until it is certified.
Escape compliance defects
These metrics measure data relating too escaped defects that do not comply with the jurisdictional rules or regulations and are found by the ITL or in the field.
The resubmit factor is the number of times a game must be resubmitted to the ITL to pass certification testing. For example, if on average each game is resubmitted 4.5 times to achieve certification, the resubmits factor would be equal to 4.5.
The number of revocations tracks how many games have been pulled from the field per time period, due to escaped compliance defects. For example, if two games have been removed from the field in a year, that would mean two revocations for the year. If a jurisdiction asks for a game to be removed due to an escaped compliance defect the manufacturer has a limited amount of time to remove the game.
These two metrics are important because having escaped defects in a jurisdiction can impact a manufacturer’s right to be in that jurisdiction, negatively impacting their brand, making them lose revenue if the EGM and table games is not working on the casino floor. There are a fixed number of EGMs and table games in any casino. Manufacturers fight for floor space amongst themselves, so a revocation might also mean that a manufacturer loses that floor space to a competitor.
Gaming Software Development Lifecycle
The gaming software development lifecycle overview
The Gaming Software Development Lifecycle follows the sequential development model.
Game Concept and Design is the first phase of the gaming software development lifecycle. It starts with a game idea that is storyboarded and is reviewed. Game and sound designers, artists, video, and gaming experts, software architects and game developers, and gaming jurisdictional experts create a game prototype. The prototype is then scrutinised for innovation and playability by the targeted audience focus group. This group may be composed of internal (IT-professionals), external (non-employees, sometimes non-IT professionals), or a mix of both resources. The Game Concept and Design phase is an iterative process. The Game Concept and Design phases’ ultimate deliverables are documents which become the blueprint for the development team, artists, mathematicians, and sound designers.
The Game Concept and Design documents include the following:
Game Concept
Game and Technical Design
The Alpha phase, not to be confused with alpha testing, is next. During this phase, game play functionality is developed and implemented, math functionality is completed, video and audio components are partially finished, and the game contains the major features. Black-box testing, especially functional, usability testing, exploratory testing, regression testing, math testing, and RTP testing occur.
The Code Complete phase is next. All features, audio, video and math components are finalised. At this phase, code is no longer added to the game, unless a change is needed to fix defects. Standard black-and white-box testing are typically performed at this phase. The emphasis is on test automation, testing for memory leaks, confirmation testing, and regression testing.
The Beta Build phase, not to be confused with Beta Testing, continues until no failures occur that prevent the game from being certified. Pre-certification testing is performed by the internal gaming quality assurance test team to assess the game versus the requirements of each jurisdiction. This phase is not a formal certification test cycle. It is a precursor to the ITL certification testing. Any defects discovered at this time will be corrected and the new builds are tested, and regression tests are performed.
The Release Build phase is the one that is sent to the ITLs to ensure that the game complies with the requirements of each required jurisdiction. This build receives the final certification sign-off, which allows the game to be sent to casinos or be made available online. If the game fails this certification, it is sent back to the game developer and the process starts over.
The role of the independent test lab (ITL)
Once the pre-certification phase is completed by the machine manufacturer, the game is ready to be certified by an ITL (also known as the Authorised Test Facility). If this is a game that will be played in North America and in Australia, it must be tested for all applicable jurisdictions which means approximately 450 jurisdictions for these two parts of the world.
Once the ITL has tested the game for all applicable jurisdictions, if it fails in any of the jurisdictions, the game is returned to the machine manufacturer or game developer who make the changes in the game or in the EGM and return it for another ITL certification test.
The only way to be an accredited ITL is to be accepted by each gaming regulatory commission. This is a lengthy and costly process and thus there are only a few ITLs who can certify games world-wide. A few of the jurisdictions have government-based certification test labs that play the role of the ITL.
The role of regulatory commissions
Once the ITL has certified a game, the regulatory commission allows the game to be played in all casinos in their jurisdiction. However, the regulatory commission will revoke or pull a game from all its casinos if a major field issue arises. A major field issue is usually a defect that stops the game from playing, provides erroneous payouts or deviates from any of the rules of engagement that are required for certification. The machine manufacturer will have to immediately remove that game from every installation in the jurisdiction.
There are also minor field issues that will force the machine manufacturer to modify a game that is in the field, within a given timeframe. In this case the game must be certified again at an ITL and approved by the regulatory commission.
