Patent ID: 7854654

Claim:
A gaming system comprising a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including: at least one input device; at least one display device; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to: (a) enable a player to place a wager to play wagering game, and (b) for the play of the wagering game: (i) randomly generate a wagering game outcome, (ii) determine any wagering game award associated with the randomly generated wagering game outcome, (iii) display any determined wagering game award, and (iv) provide any determined wagering game award; a controller configured to communicate with the plurality of gaming machines, the controller programmed to: (a) maintain an accumulated wager pool, the accumulated wager pool based at least in part on any of the wagers placed on any of the plays of the wagering games of the gaming machines; and (b) determine that a bonus event will occur; wherein after the controller determines that the bonus event will occur, the controller and the plurality of gaming machines are programmed to display and provide a bonus award to the player of a selected one of the gaming machines, said bonus award determined based on: (i) a value component determined by the selected gaming machine wherein said value component is independent of the accumulated wager pool and independent of any of the wagering game outcomes generated in any of the plays of any of the wagering games of any of the gaming machines, and (ii) one of a plurality of different possible multiplier components determined by the controller, said determination based in part on an accumulated amount in the accumulated wager pool.