Gaming machine and method with progressive array expansion and dynamic jackpot replacement

A gaming system comprising:

• one or more electronic input devices;
• an electronic display device;
• one or more processors;
• and
• one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations to:
• establish, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a credit balance based on a physical item associated with a monetary value;
• initiate, in response to a wager input indicative of a wager drawn from the credit balance, a wagering game;
• display, via the electronic display device, an active array of symbol positions having a first size;
• conduct a first set of symbol generation cycles to populate the active array with symbols randomly generated from a set of symbol-bearing reels;
• perform an operation to detect a first requisite number of special symbols appearing in the active array over the first set of symbol generation cycles;
• in response to the first requisite number of the special symbols being detected, perform operations to:
• expand the active array to an expanded active array having a second size larger than the first size;
• reset a spin counter to a starting value;
• and
• display an animation on the electronic display device, wherein the animation includes a visual indication of a first progressive jackpot being replaced by a second progressive jackpot associated with the expanded active array;
• conduct a second set of symbol generation cycles to populate the expanded active array;
• perform an operation to detect a second requisite number of the special symbols appearing in the expanded active array over the second set of symbol generation cycles;
• and
• in response to the second requisite number of the special symbols being detected, perform operations to:
• further expand the active array to a further expanded active array having a third size larger than the second size;
• reset the spin counter to the starting value;
• and
• display an animation on the electronic display device, wherein the animation includes a visual indication of the second progressive jackpot being replaced by a third progressive jackpot associated with the further expanded active array.