Play More, Win More Aristocrat’s Jackpot System That Rewards Player Loyalty with Bigger Prize Opportunities

One of Australia’s most prominent gaming technology companies has patented a gaming system that links a player’s accumulated game play history to their eligibility for different jackpot features – creating a tiered prize structure where players who engage more deeply with the game unlock access to progressively more valuable jackpot opportunities. The system is designed to reward loyalty and sustained engagement in a way that feels earned rather than arbitrary.

The Problem

Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) are among the most commercially significant products in the global gaming industry, and jackpot features are among the most compelling elements of their appeal. The thrill of a potential life-changing prize keeps players engaged and drives significant revenue for operators. However, the relationship between jackpots and player experience has historically been fairly blunt: either a player qualifies for a jackpot based on their current bet, or they do not.

This creates a missed opportunity. Players who invest significant time and money in a game develop a relationship with it – they understand its rhythms, they build anticipation, they identify with particular features. Conventional jackpot systems do not recognise or reward this investment in any meaningful way. Every player who meets the bet threshold has the same chance of triggering the same jackpots, regardless of how much play they have put in.

From an operator’s perspective, there is also a product differentiation challenge. With so many gaming machines competing for player attention, features that create genuine loyalty and a sense of personal progression – rather than just offering bigger prizes – are increasingly valuable.

What This Invention Does

Aristocrat‘s gaming system introduces a framework of multiple jackpot features, each with a different eligibility threshold based on the player’s accumulated game play. The game controller tracks each player’s game play information – a measure of the extent of their engagement with the game over time – and uses this to determine which jackpot features they are eligible to access.

Each jackpot feature has an associated eligibility threshold, and the thresholds are set at different levels so that players who have played more gain access to features that less experienced players cannot yet reach. Crucially, once a player’s game play information meets or exceeds the threshold for a particular jackpot feature, they can choose to select and play that feature. If a winning jackpot is determined during play of that feature, the player is awarded the associated jackpot prize.

This creates a dynamic, progression-based jackpot ecosystem where deeper engagement with the game is directly rewarded with expanded opportunities – turning the jackpot experience from a pure chance event into one that also reflects the player’s commitment to the game.

Key Features

Game-play-based eligibility thresholds. Each jackpot feature has a distinct eligibility threshold based on accumulated play, meaning players must invest a defined level of engagement before they can access certain jackpot opportunities – rewarding loyalty in a tangible way.

Player-selectable jackpot features. Rather than being automatically triggered, eligible jackpot features can be selected by the player – giving them a sense of agency and timing over when they choose to pursue a jackpot opportunity.

Tiered jackpot structure. The plurality of jackpot features with different thresholds creates a tiered prize ladder, where higher-tier jackpots (potentially with larger prizes) are only accessible to players who have demonstrated sustained engagement.

Persistent game play tracking. The system stores game play information indicative of the extent of a player’s engagement, which persists across gaming sessions and accumulates over time – forming the basis of the eligibility calculations.

Flexible implementation. The system operates across standard EGM hardware with at least one display, processor and memory device, making it compatible with a wide range of gaming machine configurations and deployment environments.

Who Is Behind It?

Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited is a subsidiary of Aristocrat Leisure Limited, one of the world’s largest gaming technology companies, headquartered in Sydney. Aristocrat is known globally for its electronic gaming machines, game content and casino management systems. The inventors are Natalie Bryant and Nicole Hedley. This application is a divisional of AU 2019236728, and the application is managed by Griffith Hack in Melbourne.

Why It Matters

The gaming industry’s long-term sustainability depends on creating experiences that are engaging and entertaining, not just financially incentivising. Progression-based mechanics – familiar from video games and loyalty programmes alike – tap into powerful human motivations around achievement, recognition and reward. By building these dynamics into jackpot eligibility, Aristocrat is applying player-experience design principles that have proven enormously successful in digital entertainment to the EGM context.

For operators, the system also offers a meaningful tool for managing player engagement and machine performance. Jackpot features that are tied to measurable player investment levels can be tuned to deliver the right balance of accessibility and aspiration. With IPC classifications covering gaming machines (G07F 17/32) and electronic game systems (A63F 13/00), the patent is directly relevant to the core product lines that drive Aristocrat’s global business.

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AU 2026201518 was published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents on 19 March 2026 and is open for public inspection. Patent applications represent inventions that are sought to be protected and do not necessarily reflect commercially available products.

Related Concepts

Jackpot features are a cornerstone of electronic gaming machine design, offering the prospect of outsized prizes to drive player engagement. Tiered progression systems – commonplace in video game design – are increasingly being applied to EGM jackpot architecture to reward sustained play and create a sense of earned access. Aristocrat Leisure Limited is one of the world’s largest gaming technology companies, headquartered in Sydney, Australia.