Gaming system having passive player participation in secondary wagering games

A method of operating a wagering game comprising:

• receiving a primary wager from a player, the player associated with a player account;
• displaying a primary wagering game and a secondary wagering game, wherein outcomes of the secondary wagering game are randomly determined and independent of the primary wagering game;
• displaying a randomly selected outcome of the primary wagering game;
• upon the occurrence of a first triggering event, entering the player into the secondary wagering game, wherein the player is represented in the secondary wagering game by a player avatar;
• upon occurrence of a second triggering event, ending the player's participation in the secondary wagering game;
• awarding the player any awards collected by the player avatar in the secondary wagering game;
• and
• crediting the player account by the amount of the collected awards.

A method of operating a secondary wagering game, comprising:

• receiving a first wager from a first player of a first primary wagering game;
• displaying one or more outcomes of the first primary wagering game;
• receiving a second wager from a second player of a second primary wagering game;
• displaying one or more outcomes of the second primary wagering game;
• in response to a first triggering event, entering the first player into the secondary wagering game at Time A for a period of X seconds;
• and
• in response to a second triggering event, entering the second player into the secondary wagering game at Time B for a period of Y seconds,
• wherein either (i) Time B is after Time A, or (ii) X does not equal Y, or both (i) and (ii), the outcomes of the secondary wagering game being randomly determined.