Patent ID: 7465226

Claim:
A multi-station game machine, comprising: at least two operating stations that are configured to accept player inputs; a plurality of reels, each reel having a plurality of symbols, and the reels spinning horizontally around a vertical axis; and a payout unit that pays a payment when a winning combination of symbols is established on the payout line which is betted, wherein the reels are arranged coaxially in the vertical direction; wherein each of the reels is configured to enable at least two players to play a game on the game machine simultaneously using the operating stations, respectively; wherein the plurality of symbols of the reels define a plurality of game areas on which the game is performed simultaneously; wherein the operating stations are configured such that the players bet a game value on a payout line of the reels; wherein the payout line includes a shared payout line which is betted by an adjacent operating station; and wherein the payout unit is configured such that when at least one of the players bets a game value on the shared payout line, at least one player does not bet any game value on the shared payout line, and the winning combination is established along the shared payout line, the payout unit pays a first payment to the players that bet on the shared payout line as a reward for establishment of the winning combination, and also pays a second payment to the at least one player that did not bet on the shared payout line.