Patent ID: 8480477

Claim:
A gaming machine, comprising: a plurality of symbol arrays each of which having in predetermined positions a plurality of symbols including picture symbols and a wild symbol regarded as any of the picture symbols; a symbol display device having a matrix of arrangement areas in which the plurality of symbols in the plurality of symbol arrays are arranged; and a controller programmed to execute the following processes of: (f1) having the symbol display device rearrange the plurality of symbols in the plurality of arrangement areas, with the wild symbol being rearranged independently of the other symbols in the plurality of symbols; (f2) awarding a benefit according to the relation among the plurality of symbols rearranged; (f3) fixedly displaying the wild symbol rearranged in any of the arrangement areas; (f4) repeating (f1) to (f3) until a predetermined condition is met, wherein, when the wild symbol is fixedly displayed in (f3), the fixedly displayed wild symbol is displayed in front of another symbol that is, independent of rearrangement of the wild symbol, rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol until rearrangement in (f1) is completed, determining whether the plurality of rearranged symbols other than the fixedly displayed wild symbol and including the symbol rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol satisfy a predetermined relation relative to each other; when the plurality of rearranged symbols other than the fixedly displayed wild symbol and including the symbol rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol satisfy the predetermined relation relative to each other, the symbol rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol is displayed instead of the fixedly displayed wild symbol; and when the plurality of rearranged symbols other than the fixedly displayed wild symbol and including the symbol rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol do not satisfy the predetermined relation relative to each other, the fixedly displayed wild symbol is displayed instead of the symbol rearranged behind the fixedly displayed wild symbol.