Patent ID: 8277305

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: at least one input device; at least one display device; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one input device and the at least one display device to: (a) display a game associated with a plurality of reels, said reels including a plurality of symbols, a plurality of paylines associated with said reels; (b) for each payline, associate a modifier having a modifier value with said payline for a play of said game, wherein upon initiation of said play of the game, the modifier value of each of said modifiers is an initial modifier value; and (c) provide a plurality of free spins of the reels to a player for said play of the game, and for each of said free spins: (i) cause an activation of the reels; (ii) determine whether any of one or more designated symbol combinations are indicated on any of the paylines; (iii) for each of the designated symbol combinations indicated on each of the paylines in said free spin, provide any award associated with said indicated designated symbol combination to the player, wherein said award is modified by the modifier associated with said payline; and (iv) if there is at least one free spin remaining from said provided number of free spins, for each payline on which one of the designated symbol combinations was indicated: (1) increment the modifier value of the modifier associated with said payline distinct from any incrementing of any of the modifier values of the modifiers associated with the other paylines, and (2) utilize said incremented modifier in a next free spin.