Patent ID: 8517828

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including: (i) at least one display device, and (ii) at least one input device; and at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices to: (a) for each of at least one of a plurality of players of said plurality of gaming devices, maintain a personal award, (b) maintain at least one non-personal award, (c) if a non-personal award equity accumulation event occurs, cause at least one of the players to accumulate an amount of equity in the at least one non-personal award, and (d) if a designated event occurs: (i) for at least one of the players: (A) enable the player to accept or reject the personal award maintained for the player, (B) if the player accepts the personal award maintained for the player: (I) provide the player the personal award maintained for the player, and (II) cause the player to forfeit any amount of accumulated equity in the at least one non-personal award, and (C) if the player rejects the personal award maintained for the player: (I) cause the player to forfeit the personal award maintained for the player, and (II) cause the player to retain any amount of accumulated equity in the at least one non-personal award.