Method of gaming, a gaming system and a game controller

1. A method of gaming for use with a gaming machine providing a whole reel symbol game round, the gaming machine having a controller, a credit input mechanism configured for player interaction to receive a credit input representing a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, hardware meters configured to monitor the credit input having been provided by the credit input mechanism, a display having a plurality of display positions, wherein the display includes a reel area having a plurality of the display positions, subsets of the display positions in the reel area correspond to a plurality of reels, the method comprising:

randomly selecting, via the controller, a plurality of symbols for display in each of the display positions of the reels in the reel area from respective ones of a plurality of reel symbol sets;

selecting for display in one of the display positions outside of the reel area in the whole reel symbol game round, via the controller, a first whole reel symbol from a whole reel symbol set having a plurality of different whole reel symbols to replace the plurality of symbols selected for display on a first reel in the reel area, regardless of the plurality of symbols selected for display; wherein the reel symbol sets include a plurality of different symbols, and wherein the whole reel symbol set includes the plurality of different symbols;

determining whether the first reel in the reel area is already displaying one whole reel symbol of the whole reel symbols;

in response to the first reel in the reel area displaying the one whole reel symbol, selecting a second reel in the reel area, and causing the display from displaying the plurality of symbols selected for display on the second reel in the reel area to displaying the first whole reel symbol selected while maintaining the display of the one whole reel symbol in the first reel; and

determining, via the controller, an outcome for the whole reel symbol game round based on the plurality of symbols displayed in the reel area.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , and further comprising selecting, via the controller, the first reel to be composed of the first whole reel symbol.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the whole reel symbol game round is a current game round in a series of successive game rounds for which the first whole reel symbol is selected.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein selecting the first whole reel symbol in the current game round following a preceding game round in the series of successive game rounds, further includes selecting the first whole reel symbol independently of the preceding game round and selecting the second reel independently of the preceding game round.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein more than one of the reels are composed of the first whole reel symbol in the whole reel symbol game round.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising randomly selecting the second reel to be composed of the first whole reel symbol.

7. The method of gaming as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising displaying the first whole reel symbol in a whole reel symbol window.

8. The method of gaming as claimed in claim 7 , and wherein displaying the first whole reel symbol in the whole reel symbol window occurs before the second reel composed of the first whole reel symbol is displayed.

9. The method of gaming as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising displaying the first whole reel symbol at the display positions of the second reel to be composed of the first whole reel symbol before displaying the plurality of symbols selected for other reels.

10. A gaming system for playing a whole reel symbol game round, comprising:

a credit input mechanism configured for player interaction to receive a credit input representing a monetary value for establishing a credit balance;

hardware meters configured to monitor the credit input having been provided by the credit input mechanism;

a display configured to display symbols in a plurality of display positions to a player, the display including a reel area having a plurality of subsets of the display positions corresponding to one or more portions of a plurality of reels;

a game controller comprising a processor and memory storing instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to at least:

randomly select a plurality of symbols for display to the player in each of the display positions of the reels in the reel area from respective ones of a plurality of reel symbol sets;

select for display in one display position of the display positions outside the reel area a first whole reel symbol from a whole reel symbol set having a plurality of different whole reel symbols in the whole reel symbol game round to replace the plurality of symbols selected for display on a first reel in the reel area, regardless of the plurality of symbols selected for display; wherein the reel symbol sets include a plurality of different symbols, and wherein the whole reel symbol set includes the plurality of different symbols;

determine whether the first reel in the reel area is already displaying one whole reel symbol from the whole reel symbol set;

in response to the first reel in the reel area displaying the one whole reel symbol, select a second reel in the reel area, and cause the display from displaying the plurality of symbols selected for display on the second reel in the reel area to displaying the first whole reel symbol selected while maintaining the display of the one whole reel symbol in the first reel; and

determine an outcome for the whole reel symbol game round based on the plurality of symbols displayed in the reel area.

11. The gaming system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to select the second reel to be composed of the first whole reel symbol.

12. The gaming system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the whole reel symbol game round is a current one of a series of successive game rounds for which the first whole reel symbol is selected.

13. The gaming system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to, when the whole reel symbol game round follows a preceding game round, select the first whole reel symbol independently of the preceding game round and select the second reel independently of the preceding game round.

14. The gaming system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein more than one of the reels are composed of the first whole reel symbol in the whole reel symbol game round.

15. The gaming system as claimed in claim 12 , and wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to select the second reel randomly.

16. The gaming system as claimed in claim 10 , and wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to select the second reel randomly.

17. The gaming system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to cause the display to display the whole reel symbol in a whole reel symbol window.

18. The gaming system as claimed in claim 17 , and wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to cause the display to display the first whole reel symbol in the whole reel symbol window before displaying the second reel composed of the first whole reel symbol.

19. The gaming system as claimed in claim 10 , and wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to cause the display to display the display positions of the second reel composed of the first whole reel symbol before displaying the plurality of symbols selected for other reels.

20. A game controller for use with a gaming machine providing a whole reel symbol game round, the gaming machine having a credit input mechanism configured for player interaction to receive a credit input representing a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, hardware meters configured to monitor the credit input having been provided by the credit input mechanism, a display having a plurality of display positions, wherein the display includes a reel area having a plurality of subsets of the display positions corresponding to one or more portions of a plurality of reels, the game controller comprising a processor and memory storing instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to at least:

randomly select a plurality of symbols for display in the display positions of the reels in the reel area from respective ones of a plurality of reel symbol sets,

select for display in one of the display positions a first whole reel symbol from a whole reel symbol set having a plurality of different whole reel symbols, regardless of the plurality of symbols selected for display, wherein the reel symbol sets include a plurality of different symbols, and wherein the whole reel symbol set includes the plurality of different symbols;

determine whether the first reel in the reel area is already displaying one whole reel symbol from the whole reel symbol set;

in response to the first reel in the reel area displaying the one whole reel symbol, select a second reel in the reel area, and cause the display from displaying the plurality of symbols selected of the second reel in the reel area to displaying the first whole reel symbol selected while maintaining the display of the one whole reel symbol in the first reel; and

determine an outcome for the whole reel symbol game round based on the plurality of symbols displayed in the reel area.