11. Game Behaviour

The objective of the requirements in this section is to ensure the Game behaves with integrity.

11.1 Rules of Play and Information Display

11.1.1 Players must be provided with meaningful and accurate information to enable them to make informed choices.

Game Information Display

11.1.2 All paytable awards, Game rules, feature information, and automatic selection behaviour rules must be available to the player prior to the player committing a Bet.

11.1.3 All paytable awards, rules of Play and other information communicated to the player must be accurate, clear, and not misleading.  At a minimum:

1. All displays of potential Game outcomes, including any advertised awards, must be attainable on any given Bet unless clearly stated otherwise in the Game rules;
2. The units of the displayed paytable awards (e.g. denominational units, currency) must be clear;
3. When symbols are displayed during video animation of reel spins, symbol sequences and appearances must follow the reel strips as closely as technically possible; and
4. Game displays must not use language that suggests the probability of a particular outcome is more likely to happen than its actual probability.  Examples include the use of the terms, “Due”, “Overdue”, “Ready”, and “Ready to Hit”.

11.1.4 Demonstration and attract displays must not be misleading and must not interfere with the player’s ability to make informed decisions.

11.1.5 Changes to Play conditions including rules of Play, awards, and award probabilities (e.g. changes in reel strips) that may occur within the Game must be disclosed to the player prior to the player committing a Bet.

11.1.6 Gaming Devices must provide clear and sufficient information for players to be able to track their status within the current Game in progress, as well as their status as it relates advancing to the next Game state (e.g. for Metamorphic Games).

11.1.7 Games must not encourage a player to increase the total amount the player has decided to bet.

11.1.8 The Game must not provide audio messages, graphical messages, animations, nor provide other information that falsely indicates or implies that increasing the speed of Play will increase a player’s chances of winning or the win amount.

11.1.9 If a rake or fee is charged to play the Game, this information must be available to the player.

11.1.10 All paytable awards and Game rules that are made available for play in multiple languages must all contain the same information and must be consistent across all languages.

Display of Other Information on the Gaming Device or Gaming System

11.1.11 Non-gaming-related information displayed on Gaming Devices, such as advertisements or entertainment, must be clearly distinguishable from Game-related information and must not mislead nor affect the player’s ability to Play, see or interact with the Game.

11.2 Player Interface

11.2.1 Any mechanism available for a player to interact with the Game must operate in accordance with the applicable rules of Play.

11.2.2 Gaming Devices which utilize player interaction devices that impact Game outcome (e.g. a joystick for a Skill-Based Game) must provide a mechanism to ensure that any differences between such interaction devices do not provide an unfair advantage or disadvantage to any player.  

Guidance:

Depending on the circumstances, this may be achieved by a calibration algorithm to ensure adjustments are made when necessary.  This may also be achieved by providing the player with the opportunity to perform functionality check of the interaction device (e.g. to determine its responsiveness, etc.) before placing a Bet.

11.2.3 Gaming Devices must provide the player with a mechanism to contact the Operator for assistance that does not require the player to leave the Gaming Device.

11.3 Determination of Game Outcome

11.3.1 Game designs and features must be clear and must not mislead the player.

11.3.2 The probabilities of outcomes in Games which simulate live Games (e.g. virtual card Games, virtual roulette) must be the same as in the associated live Game, unless the differences are clearly set out in the rules of Play.

11.3.3 All Bets must be committed before the selection of the Game outcome.  Any Bet received after the selection of the Game outcome must be voided and returned to the player.

11.3.4 Games that generate a predetermined set of outcomes (e.g. a shuffled deck of cards) must keep the information secure to prevent knowledge of the outcomes.

11.3.5 Games that offer a player the opportunity to select their prize from multiple concealed outcomes may not substitute and reveal outcomes that were not available for the player to select.

11.4 Skill-Based Games

11.4.1 Prior to committing a Bet, it must be clear to players that the payback of the Game is affected by the player’s Skill.

11.4.2 Where Strategy or selection advice is provided to the player, it must be fair and not misleading.  Additionally, the player must be able to override automatic selection and reject any or all Strategy advice provided.

11.4.3 Games where the player makes Strategy decisions must provide sufficient information to allow the player to make an informed choice.

11.4.4 The Game design must prevent access to any data that could compromise the integrity of the skill element (e.g. a trivia game must prevent access to an answers database, etc.).

11.4.5 Features that automatically adapt the payout of a Game are not permitted.

Guidance:

This does not preclude the use of Persistence or Metamorphic behaviours within the Skill-Based aspects of a Game.

Note:

Consideration of the development of appropriate technical standards pertaining to automated features regarding adapting of payback, and other possible updates, will be made in the future once there is experience in the industry with Skill-Based Games.

11.4.6 Games where the player is charged additional amounts for specific actions through the course of the Game (e.g. in a high action shooting Game where the player is charged for each shot) must operate in accordance with responsible gaming principles.

Competitive Skill-Based Games

11.4.7 Prior to committing a Bet, it must be clear to players that the payback of the Game is affected by the relative Skill of other players, computerized opponent(s), house-sponsored opponent(s), or a combination thereof.

11.4.8 Computerized or house-sponsored opponents must not have access to information that is unavailable to the player (i.e. the opponent’s hole cards or upcoming events).

11.4.9 Games that contain a feature allowing players to gain an advantage over other players must advise all players of the existence of that feature and have a mechanism to achieve such a feature. Such features may include, but are not limited to, player purchased enhancements, randomly awarded enhancements or other advantages.

11.5 Linked Features

11.5.1 All progressive, mystery, and Community Bonus awards must be accumulated and awarded in a manner that does not disadvantage any player participating in the Game, and the integrity of such awards must be maintained.

General Requirements

11.5.2 There must be a mechanism to authenticate all Critical Software stored on linked feature controllers on-demand in accordance with section 3.3 entitled, “On-Demand Critical Software Authentication”.

11.5.3 Service interruptions that impact a player’s Gaming Session must be dealt with in a manner that does not adversely affect the player.  At minimum, the following must occur in the event of a service interruption that impacts a player’s Gaming Session:

1. The Game being Played with the current Bet must be completed when technically possible provided the integrity of the Game is maintained;
2. The current Bet must be voided and the wagered credits returned to the player if the Game cannot be completed;
3. A service interruption event must be recorded at the appropriate locations (e.g. at minimum at the source in the event of a communication or power loss);
4. The player must be notified of the service interruption;
5. The player must be provided with an option to cash out their credits when technically possible; and
6. The Gaming Device(s) affected by the service interruption (e.g. communication loss) must be immediately Disabled.

Shared Prizes

11.5.4 Linked Gaming Devices that have a shared prize (e.g. a linked progressive) must have at least the same chance of winning that shared prize proportional to the Bet amount, unless otherwise disclosed to the player.  For example, if a $1 Bet placed on the link has a probability of one (1) in 1,000 to win the shared prize, a $2 Bet placed on the link must have at least the same probability of winning the shared prize adjusted for the Bet amount, i.e. one (1) in 500.

Guidance:

Linked Gaming Devices are considered to have the same chance of winning the shared prizes proportional to the Bet amount provided the total difference in the theoretical return to player from the shared prizes is less than 1% of the total theoretical return to player between all pairs of linked Gaming Devices.

In cases where the linked Gaming Devices have multiple shared prizes, the total expected value (the product of prize amount and probability of winning divided by the Bet amount) of all shared prizes combined must not be less than the total expected value for the lower Bet amount.

11.6 Tournament Games

11.6.1 Tournament mode Games must not impact the integrity or accounting of non-tournament Game Play.

11.6.2 Gaming Devices in tournament mode must not accept or dispense Wagering Instruments.

11.6.3 Gaming Devices in tournament mode must not increment any meters unless they are meters designed exclusively for use with tournament software, and must not communicate any tournament related accounting information to the Slot Accounting System unless the system is designed to process and store such information separately from cash Play information.

11.6.4 Tournament mode Games must not provide an unfair advantage or disadvantage to any player, including as a result of previous game Play, rank on the leaderboard, or other factors.

11.6.5 Tournament mode paytables are not subject to the standards in section 11.9 entitled, “Game Payout”.

11.7 Gamble Features

11.7.1 Initial entry to a Gamble Feature must be conditional on an immediately preceding occurrence of a winning event, and only credits awarded by that winning event are eligible for the feature.

11.7.2 When a Gamble Feature is provided, the Game must provide the following to the player:

1. Information regarding how the Gamble Feature works; and
2. A choice of whether to enter the Gamble Feature.

11.7.3 The Gamble Feature must have a 100% theoretical payout percentage to the player.

11.7.4 The prize limit for Gamble Features or the maximum number of gambles or double-ups allowed by the Game must be clearly stated.

11.7.5 In the event the Gamble Feature is discontinued before the maximum number of double-ups or gambles available is reached, the reason must be clearly stated.

11.7.6 Player selections made during the Gamble Feature (e.g. which multiplier has been selected by the player) must be clearly indicated by the game.

11.8 Gamble Features in a Skill-Based Game

11.8.1 When a Gamble Feature is provided in a Skill-Based Game, it must comply with the following standards:   11.7.2, 11.7.4, 11.7.5, and 11.7.6.

11.8.2 Initial entry to a Gamble Feature must be conditional on a preceding occurrence of one or more winning events, where the credits for the win(s) have not been collected by the player in accordance with standard 11.7.2.  If an additional Bet is combined with credits from preceding win(s), then both the previous win amount(s) and the new Bet amount must be clear to the player in the next offered Gamble Feature Bet.

11.8.3The Gamble Feature must have a 100% theoretical payout percentage to the player for credits won in preceding Bet(s).

11.9 Game Payout

Theoretical Payout Percentage

11.9.1 The minimum theoretical payout percentage of a Game is eighty-five (85.000) percent.

11.9.2 Gaming Devices must meet minimum theoretical payout percentage.

1. The theoretical payout percentage of Skill-Based Games that are traditional card Games (e.g. video poker) or disclose a Strategy is to be calculated using the optimal or disclosed Strategy respectively.
2. The theoretical payout percentage of Skill-Based Games that do not disclose a Strategy and are not traditional card Games must be mathematically demonstrable (i.e. calculated based on an expected distribution of players’ Skill levels).  The mechanism and assumptions for how the theoretical payout percentage is calculated must be provided by the Gaming-Related Supplier at the time of request for approval.

Guidance:

The expected distribution of players’ Skill levels is to be evaluated by the Gaming-Related Supplier, based on considerations such as historical performance of similar Games, difficulty of the Skill component, and availability of Strategy information so that the Game meets the minimum payback during play.

11.9.3 The minimum theoretical payout percentage of a Game must be met for every available Bet configuration.

Guidance:

This requirement is intended to ensure that every enabled Bet option will meet the minimum theoretical payout percentage.  For example, for a game where players can bet on any number of lines between 1 line and 50 lines, and any number of credits per line between 1 and 5 credits per line, the minimum theoretical payout percentage of the game must be met for each Bet option a player could wager on (e.g. 1 line and 1 credit per line, 50 lines and 5 credits per line, etc.).

This requirement also extends to Games such as Keno, where the continuous Playing of a certain spot combination must meet the minimum theoretical payout percentage.

Metamorphic and Persistence Games will be evaluated based on the overall theoretical payout percentage of the enabled Bet options..

11.9.4 The theoretical payout percentage of a higher Bet amount must not be less than the theoretical payout percentage of a lower Bet amount for the same paytable and wager category.

Guidance:

As a player increases any aspect of their bet (e.g. number of lines played or bet per line), a tolerance of up to 0.5% decrease in theoretical payout percentage between any two of these bets will be permitted for a Game where the theoretical payout percentage of a higher Bet is less than that of a lower Bet.

Monitoring of Actual Payout Percentage for Skill-Based Games

11.9.5 Skill-Based Games that do not disclose a Strategy and are not traditional card Games must be monitored to ensure they are paying a minimum of eighty-five (85) percent (e.g. the Game payback is within a statistically reasonable range of the minimum payout of eighty-five (85) percent utilizing the mechanism and assumptions from 11.9.2b)).

11.9.6 In the case there is evidence that the Skill-Based Game is paying below eighty-five (85) percent (e.g. the Game payback is below a statistically reasonable range from eighty-five (85) percent), one of the following must occur:

1. The Game must be removed from Play; or
2. The condition must be addressed through a manual method (i.e. not an automated adaptive feature pursuant to standard 11.4.5) that is disclosed at the time of request for approval, and must be approved by the Registrar.

Guidance:

One mechanism to achieve this is for a Game to include a mechanism to self-monitor its actual return to player to ensure this standard is met.  As a possible example of how this could be implemented, the Gaming Device could calculate the actual payback percentage for every N games, where N is the minimum number of games played necessary to determine the theoretical payback percentage with the 95% confidence interval within a range of +/- 5%.  Upon detection of three consecutive calculations for a paytable in which the actual payback percentage is at least 4% less than the theoretical payback percentage, the Gaming Device could enter into a tilt condition.  Please note that other mechanisms to self-monitor the actual payout to player may be more suitable in some cases.

Alternatively, Operators can monitor the payout of the Game to ensure this standard is met. The Supplier must advise the Operator when providing the game of this expectation.

11.10 Award Odds

 Guidance:

In the context of award odds, an award is considered to be a credit prize.  If one or more symbols can be substituted by a wild symbol, resulting in a winning combination with the same pay as that using the original symbols, then both combinations are considered to be the same award.

11.10.1 The Top Award displayed on the Gaming Device must not have odds exceeding 17 million : 1, unless the odds of winning the award are disclosed to the player.

11.10.2 All other awards displayed on the Gaming Device must not have odds exceeding 34 million : 1, unless the odds of winning the award are disclosed to the player.

11.10.3 Any single shared Wide Area Progressive award must not have odds exceeding 50 million : 1. These Games will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the prize amount, the intended use, number of Games, and any other relevant factors.

11.11 Reel Strips

11.11.1 Each reel spin must be displayed to the player in a manner that is not misleading.

11.11.2 Where Games involve reels:

1. For single line Games, Top Award symbols must not appear in their entirety more than 12 times on average, adjacent to the pay-line, for every time they appear on the pay-line; and
2. For multi-line Games, Top Award symbols must not appear in their entirety more than 12 times, on average, not on any pay-line, for every time they appear on any pay-line.

11.11.3 All symbols displayed in the Game’s physical reels, including blanks, must:

1. Each occupy a space with a minimum length of (L/N)*0.4, where L is the length of the physical reel strip and N is the number of physical stops on the reel strip; and
2. Each occupy a space on the reel in a manner that makes it clear and unambiguous which symbol belongs to each reel stop.

11.11.4 If virtual reels that map to displayed reels are used, each of the reel stops of the virtual reel strip must be mapped to a displayed symbol and must have the same probability of occurring (i.e. if the virtual reel consists of N positions, the probability of occurrence of each position must be 1/N).  There cannot be any displayed symbol with a virtual reel weight of zero; all displayed reel symbols must have a non-zero probability to occur.

11.12 Game History

11.12.1 All Gaming Devices must have the capacity to display a complete Play history for the most recent Game played and nine Games prior to the most recent Game. Retention of Play history for additional prior Games is encouraged. The display must indicate the Game outcome (or a representative equivalent), intermediate Play steps (such as a hold and draw sequence or a double down sequence), credits available, Bet amounts, win amounts, and credits cashed out.  Gaming Devices offering Games with a variable number of intermediate Play steps per Game may satisfy this requirement by providing the capability to display the last 50 Play steps.

Guidance:

In accordance with this standard, 10 Games (nine prior and the most recent) are considered part of Critical Game Data. In Games where “free games” are awarded as the result of a qualifying alignment, the “free games” are regarded as intermediate Play steps of the game that initially awarded the “free games”. As such, the initiating Game and the last 50 “free games” awarded are considered Critical Game Data. For Games that award additional “free games” during free Game Play, the subsequent “free game” initiating Games need not be stored unless they are contained in the last 50 free Games Played.

11.12.2 The Gaming Device must clearly indicate when recent Games Played are being reviewed.