Patent ID: 7874911

Claim:
A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising: (a) at a first point in time: (i) causing a credit balance of a gaming device to display a first amount of credits; (ii) if the displayed first amount of credits is at least equal to an amount of credits associated with a first play of a game: (A) enabling a player to wager the amount of credits associated with the first play of the game, and (B) if the player wagers the amount of credits associated with the first play of the game: (I) randomly generating a plurality of symbols, (II) determining if the randomly generated symbols are associated with one of a plurality of different awards, and (III) if the randomly generated symbols are associated with one of the plurality of different awards, providing said award to the player; and (iii) if the displayed first amount of credits is less than the amount of credits associated with the first play of the game, not enabling the player to wager the amount of credits associated with the first play of the game; (b) at a second, subsequent point in time, adding, to the gaming device, a module which causes the gaming device to permit play of the gaming device when the credit balance of the gaming device is insufficient; (c) at a third point in time subsequent to the first and second points in time: (i) causing the credit balance of the gaming device to display a second amount of credits; and (ii) regardless of if the displayed second amount of credits is less than, greater than or equal to the amount of credits associated with a second play of the game and separate from any transfer of any credits to the credit balance of the gaming device: (A) enabling the player to wager the amount of credits associated with the second play of the game, and (B) if the player wagers the amount of credits associated with the second play of the game: (I) randomly generating a plurality of symbols, (II) determining if the randomly generated symbols are associated with one of the plurality of different awards, and (III) if the randomly generated symbols are associated with one of the plurality of different awards, providing said award to the player.