Patent ID: 11922776
Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A gaming system comprising:
a plurality of gaming devices, each being operable to display a plurality of columns, each of the plurality of columns having a plurality of symbol positions having a plurality of backgrounds, respectively; and
a server comprising at least one processor and memory storing a plurality of reel strips associated a first symbol set and a second symbol set, and instructions which, when executed, cause the at least one processor to at least, in a game instance:
for each of the plurality of columns, determine one of the plurality of reel strips based on a threshold generated from a number of symbol positions having one or more symbols from the first symbol set to control a probability of activation of a respective background of a first symbol position when the first symbol set is selected for the first symbol position,
control a first gaming device of the plurality of gaming device to animate a plurality of symbols being selected from the plurality of reel strips determined for the plurality of columns, based on a random value obtained from a random number generator,
upon the first symbol position in a first column animating one or more symbols from the first symbol set, control the first gaming device to animate an activation of the respective background of the first symbol position to retain the respective background for a subsequent game instance,
upon the plurality of backgrounds in the first column having been activated, control the first gaming device to animate a first award associated with the first column being presented based on the plurality of symbols in the first column, and
control the first gaming device to animate a second award being presented for a winning combination evaluated based on the plurality of symbols displayed and the first award.