Patent ID: 9275510
Filing Date: 2016-03-01
CPC Classification: G07F

Claim Text:
1. A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including one or more controllers and a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine for playing at least one casino wagering game by a respective player of a plurality of players, each gaming machine including a gaming housing, an electronic display device, and one or more electronic input devices, the electronic display device and the one or more electronic input devices being coupled to the gaming housing, the method comprising: for each player, detecting, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices of the respective gaming machine, a physical item associated with a monetary value, the monetary value establishing a credit balance that changes based on play of the casino wagering game; for each player, receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices of the respective gaming machine, wager inputs to play a plurality of plays of the casino wagering game, the wager inputs decreasing the credit balance; for each player, randomly selecting, by the one or more controllers, outcomes of the plurality of plays; for each player, displaying the outcomes of the plurality of plays on the electronic display device of the respective gaming machine; for each player, awarding, by the one or more controllers, an award in response to at least one of the outcomes meeting a predetermined award criterion; for each player, increasing, by the one or more controllers, at least one respective eligibility variable of a respective eligibility indicator as a function of the player's plurality of plays of the casino wagering game; for each player, displaying the player's eligibility indicator on the electronic display device of the respective gaming machine; in response to a triggering event, initiating, by the one or more controllers, a community event in which each player whose eligibility variable is above an eligibility threshold participates and shares, at least in part, gameplay of at least one communal outcome of the community event; and for each player, receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices of the respective gaming machine, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.