Patent ID: 7841935

Claim:
A gaming device for use in combination with a network of gaming machines, the gaming machines randomly displaying combinations of symbols, certain symbol combinations being winning combinations providing an award for a player, the gaming machines providing a first set of awards for respective symbol combinations in a non-enhanced play mode, the device comprising: a control unit in communication with a plurality of gaming machines, the control unit being configured to randomly select one or more of the gaming machines for operating in an enhanced play mode for periods of time, causing the selected one or more gaming machines to provide a second set of awards for each of the respective symbol combinations, the second set of awards being more advantageous to players than the first set of awards, the control unit being configured to cause game parameters in addition to awards to be changed in the selected one or more gaming machines during the enhanced play mode, wherein the control unit is configured to receive a signal from one or more of the gaming machines that a gaming machine is eligible for being selected for play in the enhanced play mode based on whether the sum of granted awards by the gaming machine divided by the sum of bets is less than a predetermined value, wherein the control unit is configured such that the control unit cannot randomly select a gaming machine to operate in the enhanced play mode if the control unit does not receive the signal that the gaming machine is eligible for being selected for play in the enhanced play mode, and wherein, only when a gaming machine is eligible for being selected for play in the enhanced play mode, based on whether the sum of granted awards by the gaming machine divided by the sum of bets is less than the predetermined value, can the gaming machine be randomly selected by the control unit for operating in the enhanced play mode.