Patent ID: 7530896

Claim:
A gaming method comprising: a. detecting wagers from a plurality of linked gaming machines, the wagers being bet by players for playing a main game; b. generating one or more progressive jackpots from the wagers, the one or more progressive jackpots including a first progressive jackpot; c. displaying the first progressive jackpot to players of the gaming machines; d. determining when the first progressive jackpot has met a first award trigger threshold, the first award trigger threshold being a current award trigger threshold before being superseded by a next award trigger threshold; e. determining an award to be paid to one or more players of the gaming machines for the first progressive jackpot meeting the current award trigger threshold, the award being less than the first progressive jackpot value, the current award trigger threshold being based on other than particular outcomes of the main game; f. selecting one or more players to win the award determined in step e irrespective of any outcomes of the main game; g. granting the award determined in step e to the one or more players selected to win the award irrespective of any outcomes of the main game, the award being deducted from one of the one or more progressive jackpots; h. selecting the next award trigger threshold to supersede the current award trigger threshold met by the first progressive jackpot until the first progressive jackpot is won, the next award trigger threshold being always higher than the current award trigger threshold; and i. repeating steps e through h until the first progressive jackpot is won.