Reel mapping scheme for a gaming device

In a gaming device having a rotating symbol bearing reel with n stop positions associated with each symbol, a control system capable of operating the gaming device as a standard device, multiple stop device and a virtual reel device when stopping the reel to display a randomly selected symbol along a win line comprising:

• reel map means for storing, for each stop on the reel, data representing the stop at an addressable location in the reel map means corresponding to the location of the stop on the reel to provide a map of the reel stops, the data storage location for each stop having an associated, unique address offset value k which differs from the k offset values associated with an adjacent stop or stops for the same symbol by a unit value;
• symbol map means for storing, for each symbol on said reel, data representing the symbol at an addressable location in the symbol map means corresponding to the location of the symbol on the reel to provide a map of the symbols, the data storage location for each symbol having an associated symbol address offset equal to k/n without the remainder where k is one of the n reel offset values associated with the symbol's n stops:
• standard game mapping index means for storing only one k offset value for each symbol on said reel at only one storage location where each k offset value stored in said index means points to the symbol in the symbol map means whose associated symbol address offset equals k/n without the remainder, each k offset value being stored in the mapping index means at a location, the address of which has an associated index offset value;
• multiple stop game mapping index means for storing two or more different k offset values for a number of the symbols on the reel where each k offset value stored in said index means points to the symbol in the symbol map means whose associated symbol address offset equals k/n without the remainder, each k offset value being stored in the mapping index means at a location, the address of which has an associated index offset value;
• virtual reel game mapping index means for storing, for each of a number of symbols on the reel, the same k offset value at different storage locations in the index means where each k offset value points to the symbol in the symbol map whose associated symbol address offset equals k/n without the remainder, each storage location in the index means having an address with an associated index offset value;
• means for randomly generating a number representing an index offset value;
• and
• means for stopping said reel at the stop position whose associated k offset value is the value stored in the standard game mapping index means, multiple stop game mapping index means or virtual reel game mapping index means at the address having the index offset value represented by said random number to display along the win line the symbol whose associated symbol address offset value is equal to k/n without the remainder.