Patent ID: 8900053

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including: (i) at least one display device, and (ii) at least one input device; and at least one controller configured to communicate with each of said gaming devices, said at least one controller programmed to: (a) maintain at least one progressive award, (b) track occurrences of at least one randomly occurring designated event, wherein said tracked designated event is at least one of: (i) a triggering of a play of a secondary game at one of the gaming devices, (ii) an activation of a secondary display at one of the gaming devices, said activation of the secondary display being associated with a random selection of at least one of a plurality of secondary display awards, (iii) an activation of a community award generator, said activation of the community award generator being associated with a random selection of at least one of a plurality of community awards, (iv) a generation of any outcome in a secondary game at one of the gaming devices, and (v) an amount of free activations provided at one of the gaming devices; (b) regardless of any outcome of any play of any game of any of said gaming devices, determine if a quantity of occurrences of said tracked event is at least substantially equal to a designated quantity of occurrences of said tracked event, wherein said designated quantity of occurrences of said tracked event is at least two and said quantity of occurrences of said tracked event occurs over a plurality of plays of a plurality of primary games in association with a plurality of said gaming devices; and (d) when the quantity of occurrences of said tracked event is at least substantially equal to the designated quantity of occurrences of said tracked event, cause one of said gaming devices to provide at least a proportion of said at least one progressive award to a player.