Patent ID: 8021227

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device; at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to: (a) maintain a bonus accumulation pool; (b) if one of said gaming devices causes a designated bonus triggering event to occur: (i) determine one of: (1) to provide a gaming device triggered bonus, and (2) to skip the gaming device triggered bonus, (ii) if the determination is to provide the gaming device triggered bonus: (1) cause said gaming device to display the gaming device triggered bonus, and (2) provide a gaming device bonus award to a player of said gaming device, and (iii) if the determination is to skip the gaming device triggered bonus, contribute an average expected payout of the skipped gaming device triggered bonus to the maintained bonus accumulation pool; (c) determine whether to trigger a gaming system bonus; and (d) if the determination is to trigger the gaming system bonus, provide a gaming system bonus award to at least one player of at least one of said gaming devices, wherein said gaming system bonus award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.