Patent ID: 8052515

Claim:
A gaming machine comprising: a display unit configured to display symbols in a plurality of columns, spin the symbols, arrange the symbols in the same order in at least two pairs of columns symmetrically positioned with respect to a center column of the plurality of columns, and stop the symbols; a console unit configured to accept instructions from a player; a game controller unit configured to execute a game program, and thereby control game functions of: starting a round of a game in response to an instruction accepted by the console unit; for each of the at least two pairs of columns, determining an arrangement of the symbols at random on a condition that the symbols are arranged in the same order and at the same positions; retrieving a winning combination from the arrangement of symbols; and providing the player with an award depending on the winning combination retrieved from the arrangement of symbols; and a display controller unit configured to cause the display unit to spin the symbols of each of the at least two pairs of columns, and stop the symbols in each of the at least two pairs of columns at the same position, wherein the display controller starts stopping symbols in a first pair of columns of the at least two pairs of columns outermost with respect to the center column and thereafter starts stopping symbols in a second pair of columns of the at least two pairs of columns innermost with respect to the center column to display the arrangement of the symbols determined by the game controller unit.