New Kinds of Slots, Part Two by Victor H. Royer

With the down-loadable server, called DLS for short, the games themselves are actually located on computer chips in a computer server located elsewhere, usually either on the premises of the casino, or in a central location. These games are then connected by cable, or even wireless services, to the actual game units on the casino floor. Therefore, the “box” on the casino floor is no longer a self-contained unit, but simply what is called a “slave.”

As a result, the box no longer contains the game itself, but is simply a computer interface between you, the player, and the menu choices accessible on a central server, which contains all the games that are available, and from which you may choose. This means that instead of playing a game that is contained in the box on the casino floor, you walk up to that box, touch the menu options and select the game you want to play. A signal is sent to the server and the game is then downloaded onto the slave unit, and then it becomes ready for you to play.

The disadvantage is the time element, called lag, between your selection of the game and the download speed of the connection that will eventually make the game available for you to play. It’s kind of like what happens in your own home computer, when you want to download a game, or a program, from the Internet. Even if you have the very latest equipment, and the fastest Internet connection, it still takes time before that program is downloaded to your computer, after which it has to launch, initialize, and only then it becomes ready for you to play the game. Although initially a good idea, there is a better idea still.

The better idea is something called Server-Based Gaming, or SBG for short, which eliminates the difficulties and problems associated with downloading. Anyone who has ever used the computer knows that downloading anything can be a chore, and that sometimes what you downloaded doesn’t really work right. Although in the world of casino gaming, the technology is substantially better and faster than what is available for us for home computer use, this nevertheless can throw some cold water on what would have ordinarily been a pretty good idea.

The last thing anybody wants, casinos, manufacturers, and even you, is to have to figure out how to solve computer and download problems when all you really wanted to do is sit down and play a game you like. No one wants this. Therefore, the solution is SBG. With server-based gaming, the unit on the casino floor is still a slave, meaning that it no longer contains the game components. But instead of having a connection to a server where you have to first download the game you want to play, this unit on the casino floor is connected directly to the central server all the time. And all of the games, all of the EPROM chips, all of the RNGs, and everything at all to do with the performance and play of the game is located on the central server itself.

Consequently, when you play the game of your choice, you are not actually playing the game on the display in front of you on the casino floor. You are actually playing the game within the central server core which is located either somewhere else in the casino, or elsewhere. This is the same principle as that with which you might be familiar if you have ever played Internet gaming, or Internet poker. The dialogue between the slave unit on the casino floor, which used to be the slot machine, and the central server where all of the game programs are located, is an instantaneous exchange of data, going two ways, and as a result there are no delays in either initiating or displaying the action, or results.

What this means is that you now have access to a vast library of games, and you can choose any of them, and easily switch between any of your choices. This also means that manufacturers and casinos will have less cost involved with the replacement of machines, designs, and game software. It also means that they will be able to deliver a greater number of innovative video games, and any casino games for that matter, directly to the terminals at which you will be sitting, and allow you, the player, to make the choice of which games you want to play.

— Victor H. Royer is the author of more than 20 books on casino games and gaming. His books on Slots, Video Slots, Keno, and Video Poker are consistently at the top of the best-seller lists. His books are available in major bookstores worldwide, from the Gambler’s Book Shop in Las Vegas (1-800-522-1777), or Amazon.com. For other links, visit his web site at: http://hometown.aol.com/vicnvegas/myhomepage/newsletter.html