Patent ID: 7335101

Claim:
A gaming machine configured to allow a player to play at least one game, wherein game play results of the gaming machine are shown using a plurality of base game indicia visible to the player in a game indicia display area, the game indicia display area comprising a front panel having one or more transparent or cutout areas through which the base game indicia are visible, or at least partially surrounding the plurality of base game indicia next to which the base game indicia are visible, the gaming machine comprising: at least one electroluminescent (EL) panel addressable by pixels and operably, fixedly, and visibly attached to the front panel proximate to the game indicia display area to form a visual association between the base game indicia displayed in the game indicia display area and at least one portion of the at least one EL panel wherein the EL panel does not overlay the base game indicia and the EL panel is not used to display the base game indicia in a first area; and an EL panel configured to allow display of a bonus game upon a bonus game trigger event in a second area, wherein the bonus game is not a duplicate of the base game, wherein the EL panels in the first and second areas are separate and distinct, and wherein the first and second areas are enabled for their respective uses simultaneously and independently.