Patent ID: 8684823

Claim:
A gaming system, comprising: a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device presenting a primary game and one or more multi-tiered promotional games that are supplemental to and distinct from the primary game, wherein the one or more multi-tiered promotional games have a promotional game component and a promotional bonus game component and wherein the promotional game component is a pre-scheduled game occurring on a predefined cycle that has a pre-selected outcome and a cash giveaway component; a player tracking system having a database of player gaming data, wherein eligibility of a player is determined for a multi-tiered promotional game based on player gaming data, wherein the player is enrolled in the cash giveaway component if the player is deemed eligible for the multi-tiered promotional game; and a promotional game server that manages a promotional game associated with the promotional game component and a promotional bonus game associated with the promotional bonus game component; wherein promotional credits are awarded to the player for a winning outcome in the promotional game component, wherein the player is awarded a bonus game entry point for the promotional bonus game component when the promotional game component is presented to the player wherein a predetermined number of bonus game entry points are required to play the promotional bonus game component.