Abstract: A slot machine game provides a special region that appears before reels stop spinning, and is defined independently of the symbols within it. The region is activated and placed into randomized game results, using foreknowledge of the spin result while the reels are shown to the player to still be spinning. The region acts upon the symbols that stop inside it in various ways. Awards may be provided that are independent of any other awards in the game result. Eligible symbols may be enhanced in various ways such as being made wild. Other awards may be based on how many of a certain type of symbol land in the special regions. The regions may appear in base or bonus games and may persist between spins.