Patent ID: 8382571

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a controller; and a plurality of gaming machines and one common display device, which gaming machines and common display device are configured to communicate with each other by means of the controller, the controller being configured to cause: each of the gaming machines to repeatedly execute a basic game a plurality of times, thereby triggering a second game; the second game to be executed as a free game a plurality of times; and the common display device to display, while the basic game is being played, one of multiple possible effect images indicating that the second game is about to be executed in one of the gaming machines when the second game has been scheduled to be executed in said one of the gaming machines and an effect image that explains the game-play contents of the second game, wherein each of the gaming machines has associated with it a unique effect image indicating that the second game is about to be executed, and when the second game is about to be executed at more than one of the gaming machines, the unique effect images indicating that the second game is about to be executed and associated with the gaming machines at which the second game is about to be executed are displayed in alternating fashion such that said one of multiple possible effect images that is displayed alternates therebetween, and the common display device is configured to: receive from each of the gaming machines information indicating whether a player is present at the respective playing machine; determine whether any of the gaming machines of said plurality of gaming machines is not being played and, if the basic game has been executed less than or equal to the first predetermined number of times in each of the gaming machines and there is at least one gaming machine of said plurality of gaming machines that is not being played, display the effect image that explains the game-play contents of the second game; and display the unique effect image associated with one of the gaming machines and indicating that the second game is about to be executed in said one of the gaming machines when the basic game has been executed in said one of the gaming machines a number of times that is greater than or equal to the first predetermined number of times and less than a second predetermined number of times.