Gaming system and method providing free activations with pattern matching feature

A gaming system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory device storing a plurality of instructions, that when executed by the processor, responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event, cause the processor to:
• cause a display, via a display device, of different predetermined patterns of entire wild symbol displays associated with symbol displays;
• and
• for each of a plurality of free activations of the symbol displays:
• cause a display, via the display device, of the symbols of the symbol displays such that each of one or more of the symbol displays comprise an entire wild symbol display;
• responsive to a first entire wild symbol display matching any one of the different predetermined patterns of entire wild symbol displays that has not been previously matched during the plurality of free activations of the symbol displays, cause the first entire wild symbol display to be locked for a subsequent free activation of the symbol displays;
• and
• responsive to a second entire wild symbol display not matching any one of the different predetermined patterns of entire wild symbol displays and not matching one of the different predetermined patterns of entire wild symbol displays that was previously matched during the plurality of free activations of the symbol displays, not locking the second entire wild symbol display for a subsequent free activation of the symbol displays.

A gaming system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory device storing a plurality of instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• prior to activations of symbol displays, cause a display, via a display device, of different predetermined patterns of symbols associated with the symbol displays;
• and
• for each of the activations of the symbol displays:
• cause a display, via the display device, of randomly determined symbols of the symbol displays, wherein the displayed symbols of the symbol displays can comprise one or more patterns of symbols of the symbol displays;
• responsive to the displayed symbols of the symbol displays comprising a first pattern of symbols matching any one of the displayed different predetermined patterns of symbols, cause the first pattern of symbols of the symbol displays that match that predetermined pattern of symbols to be locked for a subsequent one of the activations of the symbol displays;
• and
• responsive to displayed symbols of the symbol displays comprising a second pattern of symbols not matching any one of the displayed different predetermined patterns of symbols and not matching one of the different predetermined patterns of symbols that was previously matched during one of the activations of the symbol displays, not locking the second pattern of symbols of symbol displays for a subsequent one of the activations of the symbol displays.