Patent ID: 9542806
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: G07F

Claim:
1. A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including an electronic gaming machine having a processor primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game on a game display, the electronic gaming machine further including at least one input device and a non-transitory data storage device operably coupled to the processor, the method comprising: detecting, via the at least one input device, a physical item associated with monetary value that establishes a credit balance; initiating the at least one casino wagering game in response to an input, via the at least one input device, indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance; displaying, from a non-transitory data storage device to the game display, an electronic reel simulation of the at least one casino wagering game including a multiple reel array; providing a plurality of play options on at least one of the game display or the at least one input device, each play option having a corresponding set of possible bonus prizes associated therewith; receiving, via the at least one input device, an indication of a selected play option indicating a player election to elect a play option of the plurality of play options; increasing, by the processor, a jackpot accumulator value responsive to a wild symbol appearing on at least one displayed position on the electronic reel simulation including the multiple reel array according to a base trigger probability that is different for each play option of the plurality of play options; and determining, by the processor, a bonus event responsive to a combination of the wild symbol appearing on at least one displayed position on the electronic reel simulation and the jackpot accumulator value reaching a predetermined threshold; determining, by the processor, a jackpot prize responsive to the bonus event when the set of possible bonus prizes associated with the selected play option includes a single bonus prize; and receiving, via the at least one input device, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.