Patent ID: 8177637

Claim:
A gaming machine for playing a game of chance comprising: a cabinet; a processor situated in the cabinet, the processor coupled to output game data related to play of a game of chance; an input device coupled to receive indicia of credit for wagering on the game of chance; a display coupled to receive the game data from the processor and display the game data; a player tracking module; and a button panel having a first plurality of input devices and a second plurality of input devices, the first plurality of input devices configured to provide player input selections associated with a first one of a plurality of stages of play of the game of chance, the second plurality of input devices configured to provide player input selections associated with a second one of the stages of play of the game of chance, a first light border disposed around the first plurality of input devices, a second light border disposed around the second plurality of input devices, the light borders coupled to the processor to be lighted with one of a plurality of preferred lighting patterns responsive to notification of one or more gaming events corresponding to respective stages of play of the game of chance, wherein the first light border is capable of being provided with a first one of the plurality of preferred lighting patterns corresponding to the first stage of play of the game of chance, indicating at the first stage of play of the game of chance that player input is requested from the first plurality of input devices, wherein the second light border is capable of being provided with a second one of the plurality of preferred lighting patterns corresponding to the second stage of play of the game of chance, indicating at the second stage of play of the game of chance that player input is requested from the second plurality of input devices.