Patent ID: 7753782

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a controller; a plurality of gaming devices operable to communicate with the controller, each gaming device including a primary game operable upon a wager placed by a player, at least one display device, at least one input device, and a gaming device processor programmed to operate with said controller, said display device and said input device, wherein each gaming device is associated with an accumulated bonus event pool which is based on at least part of the wagers placed at said gaming device during a designated period; and a triggering event, wherein upon an occurrence of the triggering event, the controller is programmed to: (a) designate one of the gaming devices as a triggering gaming device and designate each of the remaining gaming devices as auxiliary gaming devices; (b) cause the designated triggering gaming device to enable the player of said triggering gaming device to participate in a bonus event, wherein said bonus event has an average expected payout; (c) cause at least one of the designated auxiliary gaming devices to: (i) enable the player of said auxiliary gaming device to participate in a bonus event participation gaming sequence, wherein for said designated auxiliary gaming device, a probability of success in the bonus event participation sequence is based, at least in part, on a comparison of the accumulated bonus event pool of said auxiliary gaming device to the average expected payout of the bonus event, and (ii) if the bonus event participation sequence results in a successful outcome, enable the player of said auxiliary gaming device to participate in the bonus event; and (d) cause at least one of the designated auxiliary gaming devices to enable the player of said auxiliary gaming device to input a bonus event buy-in wager amount to participate in the bonus event, wherein the bonus event buy-in wager amount is based, at least in part, on a comparison of the accumulated bonus event pool of said auxiliary gaming device to the average expected payout of the bonus event.