Patent ID: 7597621

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including: at least one input device; at least one display device; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least on processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to enable a player to place at least one wager on at least one play of a primary game; and a controller programmed to operate with each of the gaming machines to: (a) for each of said plurality of gaming machines, maintain a separate accumulated supplemental award pool for said gaming machine, wherein said maintained accumulated supplemental award pool for each gaming machine is based, at least in part, on wagers placed at said gaming machine; (b) additionally maintain at least one progressive award pool, wherein said at least one progressive award pool is separate from the plurality of separate accumulated supplemental award pools and said at least one progressive award pool is funded, at least in part, based on the wagers placed on the primary games of the gaming machines; (c) determine if the progressive award pool reaches one of a plurality of different supplemental award bonus event threshold amounts; and (d) for each occurrence of the progressive award pool reaching one of the plurality of different supplemental award bonus event threshold amounts when a plurality of said gaming machines are each in an active state: trigger a supplemental award bonus event, and cause at least one gaming machine in the active state to provide a supplemental award, wherein the supplemental award provided by each gaming machine in the active state is based, at least in part, on the accumulated supplemental award pool of said gaming machine and if a value of the accumulated supplemental award pool of a first of said gaming machines in the active state is different than a value of the accumulated supplemental award pool of a second of said gaming machines in the active state, a value of the provided supplemental award of said first of said gaming machines in the active state is caused to be different than a value of the provided supplemental award of said second of said gaming machines in the active state.