A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
- (1) after receipt, via an acceptor, of a first physical item associated with a first monetary value, wherein the first physical item is selected from the group consisting of:
- a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on the first monetary value associated with the received first physical item;
- (2) after a wager button is actuated, dace a wager having a wager amount, cause at least one display device to display a play of a primary game including a randomly-determined primary game outcome, and decrease the credit balance based on the wager amount;
- (3) initiate a play of a bonus game upon an occurrence of a bonus triggering event in association with the primary game, the bonus game including a plurality of symbol generator activations and being associated with a plurality of symbol generators and a plurality of different symbols;
- (4) for the play of the bonus game:
- (a) for a first symbol generator activation:
- (i) cause the at least one display device to display each of one or more of the plurality of symbol generators in association with one or more of a plurality of symbol display areas;
- (ii) for each symbol generator displayed in association with one or more of the symbol display areas, randomly generate and cause the at least one display device to display at least one of the symbols at each of said one or more of the symbol display areas;
- and
- (iii) cause the at least one display device to display any awards associated with any displayed winning symbol combinations, wherein the credit balance is increasable by any displayed awards;
- and
- (b) when a symbol generator modification event occurred in association with the first symbol generator activation, for a second subsequent symbol generator activation:
- (i) cause the at least one display device to remove one of the one or more symbol generators displayed in association with one or more of the symbol display areas;
- (ii) in addition to any remaining displayed symbol generators, cause the at least one display device to display another one of the plurality of symbol generators in association with one or more of the symbol display areas such that an average expected payback percentage of said second symbol generator activation is greater than an average expected payback percentage of said first symbol generator activation;
- (iii) for each symbol generator displayed in association with one or more of the symbol display areas, randomly generate and cause the at least one display device to display at least one of the symbols at each of said one or more of the symbol display areas;
- and
- (iv) cause the at least one display device to display any awards associated with any displayed winning symbol combinations, wherein the credit balance is increasable by any displayed awards;
- and
- (c) when the symbol generator modification event does not occur in association with the first symbol generator activation, repeat (a)(i) to (a)(iii) for the second symbol generator activation using the same one or more of the plurality of symbol generators as the first symbol generator activation such that the average expected payback percentage of the second symbol generator activation is not greater than the average expected payback percentage of the first symbol generator activation;
- and
- (5) after a cashout button is actuated, cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.