Guide: Resolving Variances in Play Sessions and Hold vs Win Reports

Applies to WIGOS Statistics and EGM meter reconciliation workflows

Purpose

This document provides general rules to resolve three common variance scenarios:

1. Play Session unbalances in Statistics > Play Sessions.

2. Inflated or incorrect Played/Won values in Statistics > Manual Statistics Adjustment.

3. Hold vs Win variances between meter-driven Hold and report-driven Total Win.

The goal is to correct session/statistical inconsistencies first, then determine whether any remaining Hold vs Win variance requires meter-level correction.

Key Definitions

Play Session Variance:
An unbalance within a single gaming session (e.g., Redeemable Won or Redeemable Played not aligned with session totals).

Statistical Played/Won Variance:
An incorrect or inflated Played or Won value reflected in Statistics, usually affecting the statistical reporting totals for an EGM or period. These cases are corrected through Statistics > Manual Adjustment before proceeding with meter-level corrections.

Hold vs Win Variance:
A mismatch between meter-derived Hold and report-derived Total Win for the same time window.

1) Fixing Play Session Variances

Where to Adjust

Statistics > Play Sessions > Gaming Session Adjustment

General Rule

Use the Gaming Session Adjustment screen to eliminate the session variance by adjusting either Redeemable Played or Redeemable Won.

In most cases, you remove the variance by adding or subtracting the variance amount from one of these two fields.

Recommended Workflow

1. Identify the affected session(s) showing an unbalance/variance.

2. Open the session and locate the Redeemable Played and Redeemable Won fields (double click to edit).

3. Apply the correction by adding or subtracting the variance amount to one field (Played or Won) until the session variance becomes 0.00.

4. Save the adjustment and re-run/refresh the report to confirm the variance is cleared.

Choosing Between Played vs Won

• Prefer the smallest and most logical adjustment that brings the session back to balance.

• Avoid adjustments that would make Played negative or otherwise invalid for the session.

• If multiple sessions are unbalanced, correct them individually and confirm totals reconcile after completing the full set of changes.

Conceptual Example

If a session shows a variance of -20.00, you can eliminate it by reducing Redeemable Won by 20.00 (or increasing Redeemable Played by 20.00), depending on which value best matches the expected outcome.

2) Fixing Inflated or Incorrect Played/Won Values in Statistics

Where to Adjust

Statistics > Manual Adjustment

General Rule

Use Manual Adjustment when the issue is an inflated or incorrect Played or Won amount reflected in Statistics for a specific EGM and period.

This correction should be performed before applying any meter-level adjustment, especially when the variance appears to be caused by incorrect statistical values rather than a confirmed SAS meter discrepancy.

Recommended Workflow

1. Go to Statistics > Manual Adjustment.

2. Filter by the affected EGM and the date of the incident.

3. Locate the hourly line where the incorrect or inflated Played or Won amount is reflected.

4. Select the affected hour line.

5. In the bottom section of the screen, locate the Played and Won fields.

6. Double click the affected field, either Played or Won, and enter the corrected value.

7. Save the adjustment.

8. Refresh or re-run the related Statistics report to confirm the Played/Won values are now correct.

9. After the statistical correction is completed, review the Hold vs Win report again for the same EGM and time window.

10. If a Hold vs Win variance remains, continue with meter-level validation and, if needed, correct the affected meter through EGMs > Meter Adjustment.

Important Note

Manual Statistics Adjustment is used to correct statistical Played/Won values. It is not expected to directly modify the meter-driven Hold calculation. If the Hold vs Win report still shows a variance after correcting the statistical values, the remaining discrepancy should be investigated at the meter level.

3) Fixing Hold vs Win Variances

Why This Happens (High-Level Explanation)

Hold is meter-driven (SAS meters), while Total Win is calculated from multiple report components.

If a meter is understated or overstated for the report interval, Hold and Total Win can diverge.

How the Report Calculates Key Values (Reference)

Hold (Meter-Derived)

Hold = M0 - (M1 + M2)

Where:

• M0 = 0000 Coin In

• M1 = 0001 Coin Out

• M2 = 0002 Jackpot

Total Win (Report-Derived, Simplified)

Total Win = Total In - Total Out

• Total In includes: bills and relevant in-meters.

• Total Out includes: relevant out-meters and payouts.

Where to Adjust Meters

EGMs > Meter Adjustment (for the affected terminal/EGM)

General Rule

After confirming that session/statistical corrections are complete, if applicable, compare Hold vs Total Win for the exact same time window.

If a variance remains, it typically indicates a meter discrepancy. In most cases, the adjustment is applied to meter 0001 (Coin Out).

Recommended Workflow

1. Confirm the report interval/time window (start and end) and ensure you are comparing the same interval everywhere.

2. Review the Hold vs Win report again after any applicable statistical adjustments to confirm whether a meter-level variance remains.

3. Compute the variance:

   Variance = Hold - Total Win (for the same interval).

4. Identify the most likely meter involved. In most cases, this will be Coin Out (0001).

5. In EGMs > Meter Adjusting, double click the meter to adjust and correct it in the Systems field.

6. Apply the meter adjustment for the affected EGM and interval, then re-run the report to confirm the variance is cleared.

Meters to Consider (Common Cases)

• 0000 Coin In (M0):
  If Hold is unexpectedly low or high due to Coin In being incorrect for the interval.

• 0001 Coin Out (M1):
  Most common case. If Hold is higher than expected relative to Total Win, Coin Out may be understated.

• 0002 Jackpot (M2):
  If jackpot meters were not captured correctly within the same time window.

Important Notes

• Always validate the time window boundaries. Many sites use fixed operational boundaries (e.g., hourly blocks or daily boundaries).

• When working with credits or denomination, convert correctly:

  $ Variance ÷ Denomination = Credits to Adjust

• If there are duplicate meter rows at the same timestamp/code (including 0.00 rows), use the summed increment for the interval.

• If a meter adjustment is applied and it does not resolve the variance in the Hold vs Win report, you may revert the change and document the reason for the reversal.

Disclaimer and Escalation

Some variance scenarios are not straightforward (for example, when multiple meters and sessions are involved, or when the correct meter to adjust is unclear).

If you encounter a case where the fix is not evident, please create a support ticket including:

• EGM/terminal ID

• Exact report time window

• Relevant logs and/or screenshots