Patent ID: 8636593

Claim:
A gaming machine comprising: a plurality of gaming terminals each including a terminal display on which a plurality of symbols including a specific symbol are provided and a terminal controller which is programmed to execute steps (a1) to (a3); a plurality of upper displays which are arranged in a parallel manner independently from the gaming terminals so as to form a single common effect display screen constituted by gaming terminal areas corresponding to the respective gaming terminals; and a center controller which includes a bonus type storage device in which bonus types and unit payout amounts are stored in association with one another and a probability table storage device which stores a plurality of probability tables in which combinations of the bonus types are associated with probabilities of the combinations and are different for bet amounts, and is programmed to execute steps (b1) to (b5), the terminal controller executing the steps of: (a1) determining the symbols to be rearranged on the terminal display, based on betting; (a2) when the symbols to be rearranged includes a predetermined number or more of the specific symbol, transmitting an independent special game start signal including a bet amount to the center controller; and (a3) awarding a payout based on independent special game payout information transmitted from the center controller, and the center controller executing the steps of: (b1) selecting one of the probability tables based on the independent special game start signal transmitted from the terminal controller; (b2) based on the probabilities in the selected probability table, selecting a combination of the bonus types; (b3) determining whether a common game in which a plurality of gaming terminals are able to participate is being run, and displaying, when the common game is not being run, an effect image on the gaming terminal area of the common effect display screen, which corresponds to the gaming terminal which has transmitted the independent special game start signal; (b4) determining an independent special game payout amount based on the selected combination of the bonus types; and (b5) transmitting payout information including the independent special game payout amount to the terminal controller.