Patent ID: 8070593

Claim:
A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device; at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and at least one controller, upon a trigger of a group event, wherein said at least one controller is configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to: (a) set a group event timer for said triggered group event with a first amount of time and at designated intervals, modify an amount of time remaining for the group event timer; (b) for each of said gaming devices: (i) determine a second amount of time to set an individual group event eligibility timer, (ii) set the individual group event eligibility timer with the determined second amount of time, wherein said first amount of time is greater than the determined second amount of time, (iii) at designated intervals, modify an amount of time remaining for said individual group event eligibility timer, and (iv) if the current amount of time remaining for the group event timer for said triggered group event is greater than a first designated amount of time remaining and the current amount of time remaining for the individual group event eligibility timer is greater than a second designated amount of time remaining: (A) enable a player to place at least one wager for at least one play of a group event wagering game, (B) modify the amount of time remaining for said individual group event eligibility timer based on any wagers placed, (C) generate an outcome for each play of the group event wagering game, and (D) provide the player any award associated with the generated outcome for each play of the group event wagering game; and (c) if the current amount of time remaining for the group event timer for said triggered group event is not greater than the first designated amount of time remaining, provide a portion of a group event award to any player at any of said gaming devices with individual group event eligibility timers having greater than the second designated amount of time remaining, wherein the portion of the group event award provided to each player is based on the quantity of gaming devices with individual group event eligibility timers having greater than the second designated amount of time remaining.