Patent ID: 7654896

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming machines; and at least one controller configured to communicate with said gaming machines, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to: (a) identify a plurality of players of said gaming machines; (b) for each identified player, maintain an accumulated bonus event pool, wherein the accumulated bonus event pool maintained for the identified player is based on any wagers placed by the identified player on said gaming machines; (c) determine if a bonus event will occur; and (d) if the bonus event is determined to occur, for said bonus event: (i) designate one of the identified players as a triggering player, (ii) designate each of the remaining identified players as auxiliary players, and (iii) cause the gaming machine of the triggering player and the gaming machine of at least one of the auxiliary players to each provide a bonus event participation gaming sequence, wherein for each of said auxiliary players, a probability of success in the bonus event participation gaming sequence is based, at least in part, on the accumulated bonus event pool maintained for said auxiliary player, wherein different accumulated bonus event pools greater than zero have different probabilities of success.