Patent ID: 8128492

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a controller programmed to maintain a plurality of progressive awards; and a plurality of gaming devices each configured to communicate with the controller, wherein each of the gaming devices includes: at least one display device; at least one input device; at least one gaming device processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one gaming device processor, cause the at least one gaming device processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to: (a) enable a player to place a wager to play a wagering game, (b) enable the player to place at least one of a plurality of different side bets, wherein each side bet is associated with a separate one of the plurality of maintained progressive awards, and (c) for the play of the wagering game: (i) randomly generate a wagering game outcome, said random generation being separate from any random generation occurring at any of the other gaming devices, (ii) determine any wagering game award associated with the randomly generated wagering game outcome, (iii) display any determined wagering game award, and (iv) provide any determined wagering game award; wherein for each of said progressive awards, if any player of any of the gaming devices places any of the side bets associated with said progressive award, at least one of said controller and the gaming device of the player that placed the side bet associated with said progressive award: (i) determines whether to provide said progressive award, wherein the determination for each player that placed any of the side bets associated with any of said progressive awards is in addition to any of the random generations for any of the plays of any of the wagering games, and (ii) if the determination is to provide said progressive award, displays and provides said progressive award to the player that placed the side bet associated with said progressive award.