Patent Publication Number: US-8974287-B2

Title: Gaming system and a method of gaming

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known to provide a gaming system arranged to randomly display several symbols from a predetermined set of symbols and to determine a game outcome such as a game win based on the displayed symbols. 
     Such gaming systems may commonly be implemented as a stepper machine provided with reels with each reel carrying several symbols of the set, or a video machine wherein selected symbols are displayed on virtual reels on a graphical display device. 
     However, while such gaming systems provide users with enjoyment, a need exists for alternative gaming systems in order to maintain or increase player enjoyment. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming system comprising:
         a selector arranged to select a plurality of symbols from a set of symbols for display in a plurality of respective first display position areas;   a shutter device disposed in front of the selected symbols and arranged to controllably conceal or reveal at least one selected symbol; and   a display device disposed in front of the shutter device and arranged to display a plurality of icons at a plurality of respective second display position areas, each second display position area being disposed in alignment with a first display position area;   the display device being controllable so as to modify the degree of transparency of an icon; and   wherein when the shutter device is controlled so as to reveal a selected symbol and an icon associated with the revealed symbol is modified so as to increase the transparency of the icon, the revealed symbol is viewable through the associated icon.       

     In one embodiment, the system comprises at least one reel provided with the set of symbols and the selector is arranged to select at least one of the set of symbols by spinning and subsequently stopping the at least one reel. 
     In one arrangement, the system comprises a plurality of reels. The reels may be virtual or mechanical reels. 
     In one embodiment, the system is arranged to facilitate selection by a player of at least one icon, and in response to selection of at least one icon to cause the shutter device to reveal at least one respective symbol aligned with the at least one selected icon. 
     In one embodiment, the system comprises a touch screen and/or at least one button arranged to facilitate selection by a player of at least one icon. 
     In one embodiment, the system is arranged to modify the appearance of an icon in response to selection of the icon. In one implementation, the icon is a representation of a closed briefcase, and the icon is modified so as to represent an open briefcase when the icon is selected. 
     In one embodiment, the shutter device includes at least one shutter electronically actuable such that the shutter is disposable in an open state wherein the shutter device is substantially transparent or a closed state wherein the shutter device is substantially opaque in response to application of an electrical signal. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the shutter device includes at least one shutter movable between a first position wherein the shutter reveals at least one selected symbol and a second position wherein the shutter conceals the at least one selected symbol. 
     In one embodiment, the shutter device includes a plurality of shutters. In an embodiment wherein a plurality of reels are provided, each shutter may be associated with a different reel. 
     In one embodiment, the degree of transparency of a selected icon may be increased by making the selected icon more white than non-selected icons. 
     In one embodiment, the selected symbol associated with a selected icon determines a prize to be awarded to the player. 
     In one embodiment, after determining a prize to be awarded to the player, the system is arranged to modify all icons so as to increase the transparency of the icons, and to cause the shutter device to be disposed in the open state so that all selected symbols are viewable through respective icons. In this way, the player is provided with an indication of the prizes that were available and the icons that could have been selected in order to be awarded the respective prizes. 
     In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to present audio and/or video to a player when an icon is selected by the player. 
     In one embodiment, the gaming system is implemented according to the first aspect of the present invention when a trigger condition occurs during a base game. 
     In one embodiment, the gaming system is arranged to commence special game mode in response to player input, based on the amount or type of bet placed, or when a special game is purchased by a player. 
     The trigger condition may be display of a particular symbol, or display of a defined symbol combination. 
     In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of gaming comprising:
         selecting a plurality of symbols from a set of symbols for display in respective first display position areas;   disposing a shutter device in front of the selected symbols;   controlling the shutter device to conceal or reveal at least one selected symbol;   disposing a display device in front of the shutter device;   displaying a plurality of icons at a plurality of respective second display position areas, each second display position area being disposed in alignment with a first display position area;   facilitating control of the display device so as to modify the degree of transparency of an icon;   wherein when the shutter device is controlled so as to reveal a selected symbol and an icon associated with the revealed symbol is modified so as to increase the transparency of the icon, the revealed symbol is viewable through the icon.       

     In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program arranged when loaded into a computer to instruct the computer to operate in accordance with the gaming system of the first aspect. 
     In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable device having a computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to operate in accordance with the gaming system of the first aspect. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic block diagram of components of a gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram of functional components of a gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic representation of a gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention with the gaming system implemented in the form of a stand alone gaming machine; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic representation of a secondary display arrangement of the gaming system shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic block diagram of operative components of the gaming machine shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic block diagram of components of a memory of the gaming machine shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of a gaming system in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the gaming system is implemented over a network; 
         FIG. 8  is a flow diagram illustrating game play of a gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 9 to 12  are diagrammatic representations of the secondary display arrangement of a gaming system shown during implementation of a game. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present gaming system operates such that during implementation of a game or during implementation of a feature game of a game having multiple game modes, the interrelationship between a first display arrangement, a second display arrangement and a shutter device disposed between the display arrangements communicates a game outcome to a player. Potential game outcomes are determined according to a set of symbols associated with the first display arrangement, and one or more of the set of symbols is selected and communicated to a player by disposing the shutter device in an open state at least at a display area corresponding to the location of the selected symbol(s). 
     In one implementation, the first display arrangement comprises a plurality of rotatable symbol bearing reels, and the shutter device is controllable so that parts of the shutter device above each reel are disposable in an open state or a closed state. This ensures that only a particular reel bearing a selected symbol is revealed by the shutter device. Also with this implementation, the second display arrangement includes a video display device arranged to display a plurality of icons, each icon being aligned with a selected symbol of the first display arrangement. 
     In one implementation, the system is arranged to facilitate selection of an icon by a player, and to communicate to a player a symbol that is associated with the icon by opening the shutter device, or part of the shutter device, and modifying the transparency of the selected icon so that the symbol is at least partially visible through the icon. 
     In one conventional type of gaming machine, a spinning reel type game comprises a display area including 15 display positions, with each display position including one symbol. The display positions are arranged in five vertically disposed reels, with each reel corresponding to a display position group, and each reel having three visible display positions. After the reels are spun and subsequently stopped, the display positions show a random selection of symbols. 
     Generally with such games, a plurality of win patterns in the form of win lines are defined which extend across the reels and include one display position from each reel. Typically the symbols that are disposed in a win line are compared with winning symbol combinations defined in a pay table so as to determine whether a player of the game should receive an award. For example, if winning symbol combinations are based on poker hands, a particular prize would be awarded if the win line comprises four aces. Other winning symbol combinations and corresponding prizes may also be defined. 
     With the present system, a first type of game, such as a spinning reel type game, is implemented on a first gaming arrangement during normal game mode, and a second type of game that uses first and second display arrangements and an intermediate shutter device is implemented on a second gaming arrangement during special game mode. 
     However, it will be understood that instead of providing a gaming system arranged to implement both the first type of game on a first gaming arrangement and a second type of game on a second gaming arrangement, a gaming system may be provided that implements only the second type of game. 
     Referring to the drawings, there is shown a schematic block diagram of a gaming system  10  arranged to implement a probabilistic game. The system is of a type including multiple game modes, normal game mode wherein a base game is implemented and special game mode wherein a feature game is implemented. 
     With the present embodiment, a conventional video spinning reel type base game is implemented during normal game mode on a first gaming arrangement. The set of base symbols used during the base game include standard symbols and function symbols, and the game outcome is determined on the basis of the displayed standard symbols and the function associated with any displayed function symbol. For example, standard symbols may resemble fruit such as apples, pears and bananas with a win outcome being determined when a predetermined number of the same fruit appear on a display along a win line, or are displayed according to defined outcome patterns such as scattered, and so on. The function associated with a function symbol may be for example a wild function wherein display of the function symbol is treated during consideration of the game outcome as any of the standard symbols. A function symbol may be represented as the word “WILD”, a star, or by any other suitable word or symbol. Other functions are also envisaged such as scatter functions, multiplier functions, repeat win functions, jackpot functions and feature commencement functions. 
     Also with the present embodiment, a selection type feature game is implemented during special game mode on a second gaming arrangement. The set of feature symbols used may include representations of playing cards, shapes, or any other type of symbols, and in one arrangement each symbol represents a prize to be awarded to a player. With this type of game, therefore, selection of a feature symbol by a player determines the prize that the player receives. 
     With the selection type game of the present embodiment, a player is presented with multiple icons and selection of one or more of the icons causes a symbol associated with each of the selected icons to become visible, thereby communicating to the player the relevant prize awarded. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a schematic diagram of components of a gaming system  10  in accordance with the present embodiment is shown. The components comprise a player interface  30  and a game controller  32 . The player interface  30  is arranged to enable interaction between a player and the gaming system and for this purpose includes input/output components required for the player to enter instructions and play the game. 
     Components of the player interface  30  may vary but will typically include a credit mechanism  34  to enable a player to input credits and receive payouts, at least first and second display arrangements  36 ,  37 , and a game play mechanism  38  arranged to enable a player to input game play instructions. 
     The game controller  32  is in data communication with the player interface  30  and typically includes a processor  40  arranged to process game play instructions and output game player outcomes to one or more of the displays  36 ,  37 . Typically, the game play instructions are stored as program code in a memory  42  that can also be hardwired. It will be understood that in this specification the term “processor” is used to refer generically to any device that can process game play instructions and may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, programmable logic device or other computational device such as a personal computer or a server. 
     A functional diagram illustrating operative components of the game controller  32  is shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The memory  42  is arranged to store base game symbols data  14 , feature game symbols data  15 , win outcome data  16  indicative of win condition requirements for base and feature games, and game instruction data  18  indicative of game instructions usable by the gaming machine  10  to control operation of the base and feature games. 
     The game controller  32  includes a symbol selector  20  which is arranged during normal game mode to select several symbols for display to a player in a plurality of display positions on a plurality of reels of the first gaming arrangement, and a primary display controller  21  arranged to control a video display device so that the reels stop with the selected symbols displayed. In this example, the selection carried out by the symbol selector  20  is made using a random number generator  22 . 
     It will be appreciated that the random number generator  22  may be of a type which is arranged to generate pseudo random numbers based on a seed number, and that in this specification the term “random” will be understood accordingly to mean truly random or pseudo random. 
     With this embodiment, the game controller  32  also comprises a trigger determiner  23  arranged to determine whether a trigger condition exists, and a feature implementer  25  arranged to implement a feature game when a trigger condition is determined to exist. 
     During a feature game, the feature implementer  25  interacts with a shutter controller  26 , a reel controller  27 , a touch screen  31 , and a secondary display controller  33 . 
     The shutter controller  26  is arranged to control an electronic shutter device so as to dispose the shutter device, or selected parts of the shutter device, in a closed state wherein the shutter device is substantially opaque, or an open state wherein the shutter device is substantially transparent. 
     The reel controller  27  is arranged to control operation of several rotatable reels, in this example mechanical reels, and in particular to control the stopping positions of the mechanical reels so that selected symbols disposed on the reels are potentially viewable when the shutter device is disposed in the open state. 
     The touch screen  31  is used in this embodiment to facilitate selection of one or more icons displayed on the secondary display, as described in more detail below. 
     The secondary display controller  33  is arranged to control a secondary display of the secondary gaming arrangement so that selectable icons are displayed on the secondary display. The secondary display controller  33  is also arranged so that the appearance of one or more of the icons is modified according to game play, for example to indicate selection of an icon or to enable a selected reel symbol to be viewed by a player, as described below in more detail. 
     The game controller  32  also comprises an outcome evaluator  28  which, in accordance with game instructions  18 , determines game outcomes based on the symbols selected for display to the player by the symbol selector  20  during normal game mode after all reels have stopped spinning, and during special game mode determines game outcomes based on the symbols selected using the mechanical reels and the icon(s) selected by a player. 
     The game controller  32  also comprises a prize allocator  29  arranged to allocate a prize to a player when a winning outcome exists. 
     In the present embodiment, the symbol selector  20 , the trigger determiner  23 , the function allocator  24 , the feature implementer  25 , the primary display controller  21 , the shutter controller  26 , the reel controller  27 , the secondary display controller  33 , the outcome evaluator  28 , and the prize allocator  29  are at least partly implemented using the processor  40  and associated software although it will be understood that other implementations are envisaged. 
     The gaming system  10  can take a number of different forms. 
     In a first form, a player operable gaming device in the form of a stand alone gaming machine is provided wherein all or most components required for implementing the game are present in the gaming machine. 
     In a second form, a distributed architecture is provided wherein some of the components required for implementing the game are present in a player operable gaming device and some of the components required for implementing the game are located remotely relative to the gaming device. For example, a “thick client” architecture may be used wherein part of the game is executed on a player operable gaming terminal and part of the game is executed remotely, such as by a gaming server; or a “thin client” architecture may be used wherein most of the game is executed remotely such as by a gaming server and a player operable gaming terminal is used only to display audible and/or visible gaming information to the player and receive gaming inputs from the player. 
     However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, an architecture may be provided wherein a gaming device is networked to a device server and the respective functions of the gaming machine and the gaming server are selectively modifiable. For example, the gaming system may operate in stand alone gaming machine mode, “thick client” mode or “thin client” mode depending on the game being played, operating conditions, and so on. Other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. 
     A gaming system in the form of a stand alone gaming machine  50  is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The gaming machine  50  includes a console  52  having a primary gaming arrangement  54  that is used to display a base game  56 . A mid-trim  60  of the gaming machine  50  houses a bank of buttons  62  for enabling a player to interact with the gaming machine, in particular during gameplay. The mid-trim  60  also houses a credit input mechanism  64  which in this example includes a coin input chute  64 A and a bill collector  64 B. Other credit input mechanisms may also be employed, for example, a card reader for reading a smart card, debit card or credit card. 
     A top box  66  houses a secondary gaming arrangement  67  that is used to implement a feature game  68 . 
     Further artwork and/or information may be provided on a front panel  69  of the console  52 . A coin tray  70  is mounted beneath the front panel  69  for dispensing cash payouts from the gaming machine  50 . 
     As shown more particularly in  FIG. 4 , the secondary gaming arrangement  67  comprises several rotatable mechanical reels  80  that are controllable using the reel controller  27  to stop at a selected position. Each of the reels  80  has a plurality of symbols  82 . The stopping positions for the reels  80  are determined by the feature implementer  25 , although the symbol selector  20  may as an alternative be used for this purpose. 
     Disposed in front of the reels  80  is a shutter device  84  disposable in an open state or a closed state. In the open state, the symbols  82  on the reels  80  are revealed, and in the closed state the symbols  82  are concealed by the shutter device  84 . The shutter device  84  may include multiple shutters  86  each of which is associated with one of the reels  80  and each of which is individually controllable such that individual reels  80  may concealed or revealed according the state of the shutter  86 . 
     In this example, the shutter device  84  is of electronic type and is therefore electronically controllable to dispose the shutter device  84  in the closed or open state. However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, the shutter device may be mechanically implemented, for example such that the shutter device or respective parts of the shutter device are movable between a position wherein at least part of the reels is concealed by the shutter device and a position wherein at least part of the reels is revealed. 
     The secondary gaming arrangement  67  also includes a video display device  88 , which may incorporate a liquid crystal display, a plasma screen, or any other suitable video display unit. The video display device  88  is disposed in front of the shutter device  84  and is arranged to display a plurality of icons  90 . The icons  90  are aligned with the reels  80  such that when the shutter device  84  is in the open state, each icon  90  aligns with a symbol  82  on one of the reels  80 . 
     The video display device  88  may incorporate a touch screen that is substantially transparent. During use, the touch screen may be used to receive inputs from a player, for example so as to enable a player to select one or more of the icons  90  during a feature game. 
     A player marketing module (PMM)  72  having a display  74  is connected to the gaming machine  50 . The main purpose of the PMM  72  is to allow the player to interact with a player loyalty system. The PMM has a magnetic card reader for the purpose of reading a player tracking device, for example as part of a loyalty program. However other reading devices may be employed and the player tracking device may be in the form of a card, flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of being read by the reading device. In this example, the PMM  62  is a Sentinel III device produced by Aristocrat Technologies Pty Ltd. 
       FIG. 5  shows a block diagram of operative components of a gaming device  100  which may be the same as or different to the gaming machine shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The gaming machine  100  includes a game controller  101  having a processor  102 . Instructions and data to control operation of the processor  102  in accordance with the present invention are stored in a memory  103  which is in data communication with the processor  102 . 
     Typically, the gaming machine  100  will include both volatile and non-volatile memory and more than one of each type of memory, with such memories being collectively represented by the memory  103 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplary memory  103 . The memory  103  includes RAM  103 A, EPROM  103 B and a mass storage device  103 C. The RAM  103 A typically temporarily holds program files for execution by the processor  102  and related data. The EPROM  103 B may be a boot ROM device and/or may contain some system or game related code. The mass storage device  103 C is typically used to store game programs, the integrity of which may be verified and/or authenticated by the processor  102  using protected code from the EPROM  103 B or elsewhere. 
     The gaming machine has hardware meters  104  for purposes including ensuring regulatory compliance and monitoring player credit, an input/output (I/O) interface  105  for communicating with a player interface  120  of the gaming machine  100 , the player interface  120  having several peripheral devices. The input/output interface  105  and/or the peripheral devices may be intelligent devices with their own memory for storing associated instructions and data for use with the input/output interface or the peripheral devices. A random number generator module  113  generates random numbers for use by the processor  102 . 
     In the example shown in  FIG. 5 , the peripheral devices that communicate with the game controller  101  comprise one or more displays  106 ; a touch screen and/or bank of buttons  107  including at least one input device, such as at least one button, to enable a player to select an icon; a card and/or ticket reader  108 ; a printer  109 ; a bill acceptor and/or coin input mechanism  110 ; a coin output mechanism  111 ; and a shutter  86 . Additional hardware may be included as part of the gaming machine  100 , or hardware may be omitted as required for the specific implementation. 
     In addition, the gaming machine  100  may include a communications interface, for example a network card  112 . The network card may, for example, send status information, accounting information or other information to a central controller, server or database and receive data or commands from the central controller, server or database. 
     It is also possible for the operative components of the gaming machine  100  to be distributed, for example input/output devices  106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111  may be provided remotely from the game controller  101 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a gaming system  200  in accordance with an alternative embodiment. The gaming system  200  includes a network  201 , which for example may be an Ethernet network, a LAN or a WAN. In this example, three banks  203  of two gaming machines  202  are connected to the network  201 . The gaming machines  202  provide a player operable interface and may be the same as the gaming machines  40 , 100  shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , or may have simplified functionality depending on the requirements for implementing game play. While banks  203  of two gaming machines are illustrated in  FIG. 6 , banks of one, three or more gaming machines are also envisaged. 
     One or more displays  204  may also be connected to the network  201 . The displays  204  may, for example, be associated with one or more banks  203  of gaming machines. The displays  204  may be used to display representations associated with game play on the gaming machines  202 , and/or used to display other representations, for example promotional or informational material. 
     In a thick client embodiment, a game server  205  implements part of the game played by a player using a gaming machine  202  and the gaming machine  202  implements part of the game. With this embodiment, as both the game server  205  and the gaming machine  202  implement part of the game, they collectively provide a game controller. A database management server  206  may manage storage of game programs and associated data for downloading or access by the gaming devices  202  in a database  206 A. Typically, if the gaming system enables players to participate in a Jackpot game, a Jackpot server  207  will be provided to monitor and carry out the Jackpot game. 
     In a variation of the above thick client embodiment, the gaming machine  202  may implement the game, with the game server  205  functioning merely to serve data indicative of a game to the gaming machine  202  for implementation. 
     With this implementation, a data signal containing a computer program usable by the client terminal to implement the gaming system may be transferred from the game server to the client terminal, for example in response to a request by the client terminal. 
     In a thin client embodiment, the game server  205  implements most or all of the game played by a player using a gaming machine  202  and the gaming machine  202  essentially provides only the player interface. With this embodiment, the game server  205  provides the game controller. The gaming machine will receive player instructions, and pass the instructions to the game server which will process them and return game play outcomes to the gaming machine for display. In a thin client embodiment, the gaming machines could be computer terminals, e.g. PCs running software that provides a player interface operable using standard computer input and output components. 
     Servers are also typically provided to assist in the administration of the gaming system  200 , including for example a gaming floor management server  208  and a licensing server  209  to monitor the use of licenses relating to particular games. An administrator terminal  210  is provided to allow an administrator to monitor the network  201  and the devices connected to the network. 
     The gaming system  200  may communicate with other gaming systems, other local networks such as a corporate network, and/or a wide area network such as the Internet, for example through a firewall  211 . 
     A loyalty program server  212  may also be provided. 
     Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with known techniques, functionality at the server side of the network may be distributed over a plurality of different computers. For example, elements may be run as a single “engine” on one server or a separate server may be provided. For example, the game server  205  could run a random number generator engine. 
     Alternatively, a separate random number generator server could be provided. 
     Examples of specific implementations of the gaming system will now be described in relation to a stand alone gaming machine  50  although it will be understood that implementation may also be carried out using other gaming system architectures such as a network architecture of the type shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The gaming system is operable in normal game mode and special game mode and may be arranged to commence special game mode when a predetermined game outcome occurs. Special game mode may comprise one or more free games. 
     Special game mode may commence automatically on the basis of a game event occurring during a base game, such as display of a particular symbol, based on game outcomes determined by the gaming system, or may be prompted by a player pressing a button on the gaming system  10  after the player has identified that a game outcome corresponding to special game mode requirements has occurred. 
     The gaming system  10  may also be arranged so as to determine eligibility for special game mode, for example based on the amount or type of bet placed, based on particular time periods and so on. 
     Special game mode may also be arranged to commence when a special game is purchased by a player. 
     A specific example will now be described in relation to flow diagram  250  shown in  FIG. 8 , which illustrates steps  252  to  272  of a method of gaming implemented by the gaming system. 
     In this example, the gaming system comprises a primary gaming arrangement  54  that is used to implement a base game. During the base game, five virtual reels are rotated and subsequently stopped  254  to display standard symbols and one or more function symbols. Win outcomes are determined on the basis of the symbols visible at the display positions when the reels stop. 
     Typically, a player will purchase or otherwise obtain win entitlements such as several win lines which are used in the game to determine win outcomes. If the displayed symbols on the reels have symbols associated with a winning combination such as a winning combination disposed on a win line, the player wins a prize. 
     The outcome generator  28  determines whether the symbols displayed correspond to a winning outcome and, if a winning outcome exists, a prize associated with the winning outcome is awarded 256 to the player. This determination is made by comparing the displayed symbols with a pay table or similar. 
     If a predefined game outcome occurs 258 during the base game, such as display of a defined combination of symbols, the gaming system implements a feature game. 
     During implementation of the feature game, the secondary gaming arrangement  67  is used instead of the primary gaming arrangement  54 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , at commencement of the feature game, the video display device  88  is controlled by the secondary display controller  33  to display a plurality of icons  300 , in this example representations of briefcases, and the player is invited by suitable text  302  to select one of the icons  300 . 
     After the player has selected one of the icons  300 , for example by touching the video display device  88 , the appearance of the selected icon is modified, in the present example wherein each icon  300  represents a briefcase, by showing a modified icon  304  representing the briefcase open, as shown in  FIG. 10 . Selection of an icon  300  may also cause audio and/or video to be presented  262  to the player, and in this example video content is shown in a window  306 . 
     The reel controller  27  then causes the reels  80  to spin and subsequently stop  264  with 3 symbols  82  on each reel  80  facing the shutter device  84 , and the representation of the selected icon  304  is modified so as to make the selected icon  304  more transparent than the icons  300  that have not been selected. This may be achieved for example by making the selected icon more white than the non-selected icons  300 . At the same time or subsequently, the shutter device  84  is caused to move to the open state, or a shutter  86  of the shutter device  84  that is aligned with the selected icon  304  is caused to move to the open state. 
     It will be understood that by making the selected icon  304  more transparent then non-selected icons  300  and opening a shutter  86  beneath the selected icon  304 , a selected symbol  82  on one of the reels  80  that is disposed behind and in alignment with the selected icon  304  becomes visible and appears inside the selected icon  304 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the selected symbol  82  visible inside the selected icon  304  is a star symbol. The outcome evaluator  28  and the prize allocator  29  determine the prize associated with a star symbol and award the prize to the player. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , after the prize to be awarded to the player is determined, all icons are modified to represent open briefcases  306  and so as to make the icons at least partially transparent, and the shutter device  84  is disposed in an open state so that all of the selected symbols  82  are shown in alignment with their respective icons. In this way, the player is provided with an indication of the prizes that were available and the icons that could have been selected in order to be awarded the respective prizes. 
     In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. 
     Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are determined to be within the scope of the present invention.