Patent ID: 8585483

Claim:
A method comprising: marking a plurality of elements of a grid with symbols including marking one or more elements of the plurality with a feature symbol, the symbols randomly selected for each element of the plurality; identifying one or more winning combinations of the symbols marked to the plurality of elements, each winning combination associated with an award amount according to a paytable; thereafter, for each of the one or more elements marked with the feature symbol, marking replacement symbols to the one or more elements that are marked with the feature symbol or that are adjacent to the one or more elements marked with the feature symbol, the replacement symbols randomly selected for marking, wherein marking replacement symbols to the one or more elements that are marked with the feature symbol or that are adjacent to the one or more elements marked with the feature symbol includes: visibly removing a previously marked symbol from the one or more elements that are marked with the feature symbol or that are adjacent to the one or more elements marked with the feature symbol, and replacing the visibly removed marked symbol with another symbol randomly selected for the respective elements that are marked with the feature symbol or that are adjacent to the one or more elements marked with the feature symbol; and identifying one or more additional winning combinations of symbols, each of the one or more additional winning combinations of symbols including at least one symbol from the symbols marked to the plurality of elements and at least one replacement symbol.