Patent ID: 8870645

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: at least one controller configured, if any of a plurality of gaming devices cause a designated secondary game triggering event to occur, to operate with that gaming device to: (a) determine if a player of the gaming device is enrolled in a bonus event participation program; (b) if the player is not enrolled in the bonus event participation program: (i) cause the gaming device to display a play of a secondary game, and (ii) cause the gaming device to provide to the player any secondary game award resulting from the play of the secondary game; (c) if the player is enrolled in the bonus event participation program: (i) cause the gaming device not to display the secondary game, and (ii) accumulate a quantity of bonus event units in an account associated with the player, wherein: (1) said quantity of bonus event units is based on: (A) the secondary game triggering event which occurred, (B) an average expected payout of the secondary game associated with the secondary game triggering event which occurred, wherein, for a same wager amount placed, different average expected payouts of different secondary games are associated with different quantities of accumulated bonus event units, and (C) a wager amount placed on a play of a primary game, such that if the designated secondary game triggering event occurred and a first wager amount is placed on the play of the primary game having a first primary game average expected payout, a first quantity of bonus event units are accumulated, and if the designated secondary game triggering event occurred and a second, different wager amount is placed on the play of the primary game having the first primary game average expected payout, a second, different quantity of bonus event units are accumulated, and (2) each bonus event unit has an average expected value; and (d) cause the gaming device to enable the player to selectively redeem at least one of any accumulated bonus event units by participating in a bonus event.