Patent ID: 9640025
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: G07F

Claim:
1. A gaming system comprising: a housing; a plurality of input devices supported by the housing and including an acceptor; at least one display device supported by the housing; at least one processor; and at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of input devices and the at least one display device to: (a) establish a credit balance based at least in part on a monetary value associated with a physical item received by the acceptor; (b) display a plurality of symbol display areas; (c) place a wager on a play of a game following receipt of an actuation of a wager button, the credit balance decreasable by the wager; (d) for the play of the game, for each of the symbol display areas, display one of a plurality of different symbols at said symbol display area, the plurality of different symbols including a plurality of first enclosing symbols, a plurality of second different enclosing symbols, and a plurality of non-enclosing symbols; (e) if at least one displayed non-enclosing symbol is surrounded by a plurality of displayed enclosing symbols: (i) determine an award associated with said at least one surrounded non-enclosing symbol, a value of the award based on which enclosing symbols surround the at least one surrounded non-enclosing symbol; and (ii) display the determined award, the credit balance being increasable by the determined award; and (f) initiate a payout associated with the credit balance following receipt of an actuation of a cashout button.