Patent ID: 8133109

Claim:
A game system, comprising: a plurality of gaming machines communicating with each other via a communication network, the plurality of gaming machines each having: (i) a display device onto which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged; (ii) an input device to input an insurance BET; (iii) at least one memory; and (iv) a controller; the controller programmed to: accept information concerning entry to a link game requested by a player at a gaming machine to start the link game; (a) store a predetermined number of games shared so as to consume a game through cooperation among all the plurality of gaming machines that have entered the link game, in the at least one memory; (b) accept an insurance BET input with the input device; (c) count the insurance BET in an accumulative manner and store the counted insurance BET value in the at least one memory; (d) transmit the counted insurance BET value to other gaming machines and receive the counted insurance BET value information from other gaming machines; (e) sum the counted insurance BET values received from said other gaming machines, and store the summed insurance BET value in the at last one memory; (f) automatically re-arrange the plurality of types of symbols arranged on the display device; (g) count a number games played on a one-game basis, in an accumulative manner, and store the number of games played in the at least one memory; (h) transmit and receive to and from the other gaming machines, information related to the number of games played, the information being stored in the at least one memory; (i) sum the number of games played at the plurality of gaming machines, based on the information received from said other gaming machines, and store the summed games played in the at least one memory; (j) determine whether, as a result of repeating (b) to (i), the summed games played reaches the predetermined number of games set for the link game; and (k) where a determination is made that the summed games played reaches the predetermined number of games, award a prize to at least one gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines that have entered the link game, said prize including the summed insurance bet value.