Patent ID: 8663001

Claim:
A gaming machine system which includes a system controller; a plurality of gaming machines linked to the system controller, each gaming machine having 1) a first display; 2) a game controller configured to control images of symbols displayed on the first display, the game controller being configured to play a game wherein at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the first display and, if a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize; and 3) a second display; and each gaming machine being configured to enter a feature game comprising a plurality of winning outcomes and is ongoing, where, during play of the feature, feature images associated with the feature game are displayed on the second display; and a remote display, configured to display at least a portion of the feature game and the corresponding feature images, to which each of the gaming machines is connected, the remote display being visible to a player playing any one of the gaming machines connected to the remote display, at least certain of the feature images occurring on at least one of the displays of at least one of the gaming machines during the playing of the feature game on the at least one gaming machine cooperating with the feature images displayed on the remote display and the feature images being used in determining a feature outcome on the at least one gaming machine participating in the feature game; wherein said feature game is entered by a plurality of gaming machines by each triggering a predetermined event during play of the gaming machines such that a plurality of gaming machines play said feature game simultaneously, and wherein when a first of the plurality of gaming machines achieves a first of the plurality of winning outcomes, the first winning outcome is immediately returned to the feature game such that the odds for winning said first prize by other gaming machines simultaneously playing said feature game remain the same.