Patent ID: 7677971

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: at least one central controller programmed to maintain a plurality of progressive awards; and a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine configured to communicate with the at least one central controller, each gaming machine including: at least one display device configured to display a primary game operable upon a wager placed by a player; at least one input device; at least one gaming machine processor; and at least one memory device which includes a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one gaming machine processor after an occurrence of a random triggering event, cause the at least one gaming machine processor to operate with said at least one input device, said at least one display device to control a play of a secondary game, regardless of an amount of the wager placed by the player on a play of the primary game, by: (i) enabling the player to directly select any one of the maintained plurality of progressive awards as a first progressive award, (ii) enabling the player to play for the selected first progressive award at a first time during the play of the secondary game, (iii) determining whether to provide the selected first progressive award to the player, (iv) regardless of if the player is provided the selected first progressive award, enabling the player to play for a second progressive award at a second, different time during the same play of the secondary game, and (v) determining whether to provide the second progressive award to the player.