GAMING SYSTEM, GAMING DEVICE AND METHOD PROVIDING TIERED PROGRESSIVE BONUSING SYSTEM

摘要

The gaming system and method disclosed herein provides a plurality of players with an opportunity to win a plurality of progressive awards maintained by the gaming system. The gaming system accumulates a quantity of progressive event points for each player playing at one of the gaming machines in the gaming system. In one embodiment, the gaming system uses an accumulated quantity of progressive event points for a designated player to determine which one or more of the progressive awards the designated player wins. In another embodiment, the gaming system uses an accumulated quantity of progressive event points to determine the designated player's probability of winning one or more of the progressive awards. Accordingly, the gaming system provides a point-based system in which either a progressive award to win or a probability of winning a progressive award is determined based on the quantities of progressive event points accumulated by the players.

主权项

1. A gaming system comprising:
a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including:
a housing;at least one display device supported by the housing;a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including:
(i) an acceptor, and(ii) a cashout device;at least one processor; andat least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the plurality of input devices to:
(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, wherein said physical item is selected from the group consisting of: a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency,(b) for a play of a game:
(i) determine a game outcome,(ii) display the determined game outcome,(iii) determine any award associated with the determined game outcome, and(iv) display any determined award associated with the determined game outcome, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the determined game outcome, and(c) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance. at least one controller configured to operate with the plurality of the gaming devices to:
(a) maintain a plurality of progressive awards,(b) for each of a plurality of players, upon an occurrence of a point accumulation event, accumulate a quantity of progressive event points for that player, and(c) after an occurrence of a triggering event:
(i) select one of the players based on a designated wager amount placed prior to the triggering event,(ii) assign the selected player to one of the plurality of progressive event tiers based on the quantity of progressive event points accumulated for the selected player,(iii) for each one of a plurality of the progressive awards, determine whether to provide said progressive award in accordance with a probability associated with the assigned progressive event tier, and(iv) if the determination is to provide at least one of the progressive awards, cause said at least one of the progressive awards to be provided to the selected player.