Patent ID: 8602865

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a controller; and a plurality of gaming devices each configured to communicate with the controller, each of the gaming devices including: (i) at least one primary game operable upon a first wager by a player, (ii) at least one secondary game operable upon a secondary game triggering event, and (iii) at least one display device configured to display said at least one primary game and said at least one secondary game, the controller and the gaming devices configured to: (a) enable a first player playing at one of the gaming devices to challenge at least one other player playing at another one of the gaming devices to participate in a group competition in which the first player and any of the challenged players who accept the first player's challenge compete to obtain one of the secondary game triggering events, (b) determine if any of the challenged players accept the first player's challenge to participate in the group competition, and (c) if any of the challenged players accept the first player's challenge: (i) for each of the gaming devices at which the players who accept the first player's challenge are playing and the gaming device at which the first player is playing, cause said gaming device to enable the player playing at said gaming device to place: (A) the first wager to play the primary game, and (B) a second wager in addition to the first wager, the second wager being associated with the group competition, (ii) allocate a portion of an amount of each placed second wager to an accumulated value pool associated with the group competition, (iii) cause a display of any amounts allocated to the accumulated value pool in a group competition meter, (iv) repeat (c)(i) to (c)(iii) until one of the secondary game triggering events occurs on one of the gaming devices participating in the group competition, and (v) after said secondary game triggering event occurs on said gaming device: (A) identify the player playing at said gaming device as a winner of the group competition, (B) provide said winner of the group competition with the amount displayed in the group competition meter, and (C) enable said winner of the group competition to play the secondary game associated with said secondary game triggering event.