Patent ID: 7967674

Claim:
A method of operating a gaming system including a plurality of gaming machines, said method comprising: (a) for each gaming machine, enabling a player of said gaming machine to place a wager for a play of a wagering game; (b) prior to displaying each play of the wagering game and after receiving the wager: (i) determining which gaming machines are in an active state for a play of an interactive game, each gaming machine being in an active state upon placement of said wager by the player of said gaming machine; (ii) for each active gaming machine, enabling the player of said active gaming machine to play the interactive game; (iii) for each active gaming machine, determining and displaying an interactive game outcome for the play of the interactive game; (iv) for at least one active gaming machine, determining, based on the displayed interactive game outcome for said gaming machine, if said player of said gaming machine: is eligible to win a bonus game in the play of the wagering game, is eligible to win a multiplier in the play of the wagering game, is eligible to win a progressive award in the play of the wagering game, is eligible to win an increased number of selections in a secondary bonus game in the play of the wagering game, and is eligible to win a modifier amount in the play of the wagering game; (c) for each of said active gaming machines, for the play of the wagering game: (i) displaying the play of the wagering game, including determining a wagering game outcome and displaying the determined wagering game outcome; (ii) determining any award to provide to the player of said active gaming machine based on the displayed wagering game outcome, said determination including: (A) using the multiplier if the displayed interactive game outcome results in the player of said gaming machine being eligible to win the multiplier and the multiplier is determined to be won in said play of said wagering game; (B) using the modifier amount if the displayed interactive game results in the player of said gaming machine being eligible to win the modifier amount and the modifier amount is determined to be won in said play of said wagering game; and (C) determining the progressive award if the displayed interactive game outcome results in the player of said gaming machine being eligible to win the progressive award and the progressive award is determined to be won in said play of said wagering game; and (iii) displaying any said determined award; (d) providing a play of the bonus game if the displayed interactive game outcome results in the player of said gaming machine being eligible to win said bonus game and if the bonus game is determined to be won; and (e) providing the increased number of selections in a play of the secondary bonus game if the displayed interactive game outcome results in the player of said gaming machine being eligible to win the number of selections in the secondary bonus game and if the play of the secondary bonus game is won.