Gaming machine and game control method thereof, which allow symbol scroll to be manually stopped

1. A gaming machine, comprising:

a symbol display device having a plurality of video reels, which is capable of rearranging symbols by scrolling the symbols on the video reels in the longitudinal direction and stopping the scroll thereafter;

a touch panel provided at the front of the symbol display device, which enables a player to input an instruction by touching;

a controller programmed to execute the processes of:

a1) on condition that a game medium is bet, running a base game which awards a payout to the player, when a combination of the symbols rearranged on the symbol display device is a winning combination;

(a2) when a bonus is won in the base game, running from the next unit game a special game in which a free game is repeated;

(a3) determining by lottery a combination of symbols to be rearranged when stopping the scroll of symbols in the special game;

(a4) notifying in the special game that the currently scrolling symbols on the video reels are stoppable;

(a5) enabling the scroll of symbols of at least one video reel to be stopped in response to a stop operation input through the touch panel, in the special game; and

(a6) awarding a payout to the player, when symbols rearranged after the scroll is stopped in the special game form a winning combination.

2. A gaming machine, comprising:

a symbol display device having a plurality of reels, which is capable of rearranging symbols on the reels by scrolling the symbols and stopping the scroll thereafter;

an input device which enables a player operation to input an instruction;

a controller programmed to execute the processes of:

(b1) on condition that a game medium is bet, running a base game which awards a payout to the player, when a combination of the symbols rearranged on the symbol display device is a winning combination;

(b2) when a bonus is won in the base game, running a bonus game from the next unit game;

(b3) determining by lottery a combination of symbols to be rearranged when stopping the scroll of symbols in the bonus game;

(b4) enabling the scroll of symbols of at least one video reel to be stopped in response to a stop operation input through the input device, in the bonus game;

(b5) awarding a payout to the player, when symbols rearranged after the scroll is stopped in the bonus game form a winning combination.

3. A gaming machine, comprising:

a symbol display device capable of scrolling a plurality of symbols on the reels;

an input device which enables a player operation to input an instruction;

a controller programmed to execute the processes of:

(c1) rearranging symbols by scrolling them in the symbol display device, and stopping the scroll thereafter;

(c2) running a unit game which awards a payout to the player when symbols rearranged form a winning combination; and

(c3) when a predetermined condition is met, enabling in a subsequent unit game the scroll of symbols of at least one video reel to be stopped in response to a stop operation input through the input device, wherein

a combination of symbols to be rearranged, when the scroll of symbols in the subsequent unit game is stopped via the input device, are predetermined by lottery.

4. A game control method of a gaming machine having a symbol display device having a plurality of video reels and a touch panel provided at the front of the symbol display device, which enables a player to input an instruction by touching, the method comprising the steps of:

running a base game, on condition that a game medium is bet, in which game symbols are rearranged on the symbol display device by scrolling the symbols on the video reels and stopping the scroll thereafter, and a payout is awarded to the player if symbols rearranged form a winning combination;

when a bonus is won in the base game, running from the next unit game a special game in which a free game is repeated;

determining by lottery a combination of symbols to be rearranged when stopping the scroll of symbols in the special game;

notifying in the special game that the currently scrolling symbols on the video reels are stoppable;

enabling the scroll of symbols of at least one video reel to be stopped response to a stop operation input through the touch panel, in the special game; and

awarding a payout to the player, when symbols rearranged after the scroll is stopped in the special game form a winning combination.