Patent ID: 7976390

Claim:
In a gaming network coupled to a plurality of gaming devices, and to a bonus server, a method of awarding a bonus prize comprising: receiving, by the bonus server, a maximum time for a bonus period as input by an operator; dividing, by the bonus server, the maximum time into a plurality of equal time increments; dividing, by the bonus server, the range of all possible time increments into an operator selectable number of bins, each bin containing an equal number of time increments, each bin including an associated pay table and an associated relative weight; randomly selecting using the associated relative weight, by the bonus server, a winning bin of the operator selectable number of bins in the weighted table wherein the associated relative weight is selected to skew a likelihood of the winning time being in a certain section of the bonus cycle; randomly selecting, by the bonus server, a winning time increment from the winning bin; and awarding a bonus prize to a player of one of the plurality of gaming devices after the winning time increment has been reached.