Award display for gaming machine having extendable and retractable elements

1. A gaming apparatus for conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine having a housing, the gaming apparatus comprising:

an electro-mechanical award display, the award display including a plurality of physical elements each located at a different location on the housing and movable relative to a panel of the housing between a viewable extended position toward a player and a viewable retracted position away from the player, the physical elements bearing a viewable game outcome, the physical elements being moveable between the extended and retracted positions along a path perpendicular to the panel, and each of the moving physical elements being stopped in either the extended position or the retracted position; and

wherein the location and position of each of the plurality of physical elements indicates an associated game outcome based on which of the physical elements are stopped in the extended position and which of the physical elements are stopped in the retracted position, the game outcome being viewable in both the extended and retracted positions regardless of whether the physical element is in the extended position or the retracted position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the physical elements protrude from the panel when in the extended position and are approximately flush with the panel when in the retracted position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the physical elements are approximately flush with the panel when in the extended position and are recessed relative to the panel when in the retracted position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the physical elements are arranged in a line.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the physical elements are movable in sequence.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a processor operative to move each of the physical elements between the extended position and the retracted position, stop each of the physical elements in either the extended position or the retracted position, and provide the outcome based on which of physical elements stop in the extended position and which of the physical elements stop in the retracted position.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the physical elements are associated with respective outcomes.

8. A gaming apparatus for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

an electro-mechanical award display including a plurality of physical elements; and

a processor configured to

record a wager to play the wagering game, and

in response to a predetermined criterion, move the physical elements between an extended position and a retracted position to indicate a game outcome, each of the plurality of physical elements bearing a viewable indicia indicative of an associated game outcome; and

during a single wagering game, stop each of the moving physical elements in either the extended position or the retracted position, and provide the outcome based on which of the physical elements stop in the extended position and which of the physical elements stop in the retracted position and the viewable indicia being viewable in both the extended and retracted positions regardless of whether the physical element is moved.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further including a housing, the processor being operative to move the physical elements relative to a panel of the housing.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the physical elements protrude from the panel when in the extended position and are approximately flush with the panel when in the retracted position.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the physical elements are approximately flush with the panel when in the extended position and are recessed relative to the panel when in the retracted position.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the physical elements are arranged in a line.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the processor is operative to move the physical elements in sequence.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined criterion is a start-bonus outcome in a basic portion of the wagering game.

15. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine, the gaming machine including an electro-mechanical award display including a plurality of physical elements, the method comprising:

receiving a wager to play the wagering game including a basic game and a bonus game; and

in response to a bonus game triggering outcome of the basic game, moving the physical elements between a viewable extended position toward a player and a viewable retracted position away from the player to indicate a bonus game outcome, the physical elements being moved between the extended and retracted positions along a path approximately perpendicular to a front panel of the gaming machine; and

wherein each of the plurality of physical elements bear indicia indicating an associated bonus game outcome and the indicia are viewable in both the extended and retracted positions regardless of whether the physical element is moved.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the physical elements protrude from the panel when in the extended position and are approximately flush with the panel when in the retracted position.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the physical elements are approximately flush with the panel when in the extended position and are recessed relative to the panel when in the retracted position.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the physical elements are arranged in a line.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the physical elements move in sequence.

20. The method of claim 15 , further including stopping each of the moving physical elements in either the extended position or the retracted position, and providing the bonus game outcome based on which of physical elements stop in the extended position and which of the physical elements stop in the retracted position.