Patent ID: 8057308

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine including: (i) a cabinet; (ii) a primary display device supported by the cabinet, said primary display device configured to display a primary game operable upon a wager; (iii) at least one input device supported by the cabinet, said at least one input device configured to enable the wager to be made on the primary game; and (iv) at least one processor configured to control the primary game; and a shared display device including a single component having a plurality of sections which are each associated with one of a plurality of different awards, each of the sections displaying one of the awards, each of the displayed awards being individually awardable to one of the players of the gaming machines, and each section having a predetermined relationship with respect to each other section such that each of the displayed awards has a predetermined relationship with respect to each of the other displayed awards, wherein after an occurrence of a triggering event at one of the gaming machines, (a) the gaming machine where the triggering event occurred enables a player of said gaming machine to initiate a play of the shared display device, (b) after an initiation of the play of the shared display device, for a time period, any other eligible gaming machine enables the player of said gaming machine to selectively participate in said play of the shared display device, and (c) said play of the shared display device including said single component of said shared display device moving to cause a display of an indication of at least one of the displayed awards in association with at least one of the gaming machines, and said shared display device indicating different ones of the displayed awards in association with different ones of the gaming machines.