Patent ID: 8662982

Claim:
A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising: causing each of a plurality of individual gaming machines to display a play of a base game, wherein: an outcome of each play of each base game is determined at least in part by at least one random determination, and one of a plurality of display portions of a bonus apparatus is associated with each of the individual gaming machines; ranking at least two of the plurality of individual gaming machines with a signal strength; causing the bonus apparatus to display at least one value element in at least one of the plurality of display portions of the bonus apparatus, the at least one value element being movable between the plurality of display portions of the bonus apparatus partly in response to the signal strengths of the plurality of individual gaming machines; and if a triggering event occurs in association with at least one of the individual gaming machines, providing a player of said at least one individual gaming machine an award based on any value elements displayed, when the triggering event occurs, in the display portion of the bonus apparatus associated with the individual gaming machine, wherein said triggering event occurs distinct from any determination of if any value elements are displayed in the display portion of the bonus apparatus associated with the individual gaming machine.