Gaming system, a method of gaming and a linked game controller

摘要

A gaming system having a plurality of gaming devices linked to a game controller. The linked game controller conducts a linked game in which eligible ones of the gaming devices participate and any award is shared between the participating gaming devices. The linked game controller conducts the linked game by generating at least one game outcome, and evaluating each game outcome based on the number of participating gaming devices.

主权项

1. A gaming system comprising:
a plurality of gaming devices, each of the plurality of gaming devices comprising: a credit input mechanism, a cashout device, and a controller, wherein the credit input device is configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value for establishing a credit balance that increases and decreases based at least on wagering activity, and wherein the controller is configured to facilitate a base wagering game in accord with receiving a wager amount placed for play of the base wagering game, the wager amount decreasing the credit balance; and wherein the cashout device is configured to receive a detected cashout request, the cashout request causing an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance, via the cashout device; at least one display device configured to present a plurality of reels such that each reel displays a plurality of symbols; and a linked game controller in data communication with each of the plurality of gaming devices and the at least one display device, the linked game controller configured to:
determine which of the plurality of gaming devices are eligible gaming devices to participate in the linked game based on at least one predetermined criterion;determine a quantity of eligible game devices based on said determination of which of the plurality of gaming devices are eligible gaming devices to participate in the linked game;select a number of reels from the plurality of reels as active reels corresponding to the quantity of eligible gaming devices;generate and display, via the at least one display device, a linked game outcome by causing each of the plurality of reels to spin to a stop position regardless whether a respective reel is an active reel;determine an award associated with the linked game outcome based on each of the plurality of symbols displayed by each of the active reels presented in the linked game outcome displayed on the at least one display device and only a single displayed symbol selected from each reel that is not an active reel presented in the linked game outcome displayed on the at least one display device; anddistribute a portion of the determined award associated with the linked game outcome to each of the eligible gaming devices, the portion of the determined award distributed to each eligible gaming device increasing the respective credit balance of the eligible gaming device.