Patent ID: 8002628

Claim:
A gaming machine adapted for accepting a wager, playing a game based on the wager and granting a payout based on the result of the game, comprising: an exterior housing arranged to contain a plurality of internal gaming machine components therein; a gaming controller in communication with at least one of said plurality of internal gaming machine components and adapted to control one or more aspects of said game; and a display region located within or about said exterior housing and adapted to present a plurality of gaming reels including at least a first gaming reel and a second gaming reel, said plurality of gaming reels being controlled at least in part by said gaming controller, wherein said gaming controller controls the presentation of said plurality of gaming reels such that a first reel symbol moves or appears to move from said first gaming reel to said second gaming reel while within said display region such that an animation effect is created, wherein said animation effect includes coordinating various visual images, viewing angles, reel alignments and rotational speeds of said plurality of gaming reels in a manner such that said first reel symbol appears on the first gaming reel for a set duration of time or frame sequence and on the second reel at the conclusion of said set duration of time or frame sequence.