Patent ID: 7708640

Claim:
A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising: a controller for selecting a game outcome from a plurality of possible outcomes responsive to said gaming machine receiving a wager on said wagering game; and a cylindrical video display for generating 2D imagery that displays said game outcome, said video display being shaped generally like a cylinder and generating said 2D imagery by selectively illuminating a plurality of light sources spinning in a circular direction about a curved surface formed by points at a fixed distance from a central axis of said cylinder, said cylinder including opposing ends coupled to corresponding fixed supports in the gaming machine, the movement of said cylindrical video display and selective illumination of said light sources being controlled by said controller, said video display being positioned in said gaming machine such that said central axis of the cylinder is generally parallel to the ground surface on which said gaming machine is disposed, said 2D imagery including an array of reel symbols arranged relative to a plurality of reels that extend about said curved surface and are parallel to said opposing ends; wherein while said light sources are spinning, the controller is programmed to cause said reels to appear to spin about said curved surface of said video display and to cause said reels to appear to stop and to represent said game outcome, creating a perception that said reels are physically spinning with said video display.