Patent ID: 7727068

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including a primary game and a display device, wherein each primary game is associated with a triggering event; a bonus game; a central controller in communication with each of the gaming machines; a separate shared display controlled by the central controller; and wherein each gaming machine is operable to enable a player to place at least one of a plurality of different wagers, wherein at least one of the wagers is a designated wager; wherein for each gaming machine, if a player places one of the wagers, said gaming machine is operable with the central controller and the shared display to: (a) enable the player to play the primary game on said gaming machine; (b) determine a primary game outcome for the player; (c) upon an occurrence of the triggering event associated with the primary game: (i) determine if the player placed the designated wager; (ii) if the player did not place the designated wager, enable the player to play the bonus game, wherein the bonus game is displayed on the individual display device of the gaming machine and said bonus game has a first average expected payout; (iii) if the player placed the designated wager, enable the player to play the bonus game, wherein said bonus game is displayed on the shared display and the bonus game has a second average expected payout, wherein said second average expected payout is higher than the first average expected payout; and (iv) determine a bonus game outcome for the player; and (d) provide any awards to the player based on the primary game outcome and any bonus game outcome.