Electronic gaming environment with display of multiple instances of single-player games and multiplayer bonus game

A multiplayer wager game apparatus comprising:

• a bonus device randomly generating a result from a set of finite possible outcomes;
• a plurality of workstations;
• a gaming server in communication with the plurality of workstations over a communications network, the gaming server including a central processing unit and a memory storing program instructions for execution by the central processing unit, the central processing unit generating results of play of multiple instances of a single-player wager game played by the plurality of workstations;
• wherein, the single-player wager game features a pay table in which one of the possible rewards for a turn of play of the single-player wager game is an award of a multiplier credit useable in a bonus game aspect of the single-player wager game;
• wherein the gaming server is operative to randomly initiate the play of the bonus game wherein during play of the bonus game, play of the single-player wager game by the workstations is temporarily suspended;
• wherein the bonus game is played by those players having accumulated at least one multiplier credit prior to the initiation of play of the bonus game by the gaming server;
• wherein multiplier credit for the players accumulates during a period prior to the triggering of the bonus game by the gaming server and is not subject to decrease during said period due to change in the rate of play or temporary interruption of play by the player;
• and
• wherein the bonus game is characterized by a result for each player participating in the bonus game randomly generated by the bonus device from the set of finite possible outcomes, and winnings in the bonus game being the product of the multiplier credit multiplied by the result, whereby a player participating in the bonus game obtains the winnings in the bonus game from the proprietor of the game and their winnings are independent of results for other players participating in the bonus game and are not shared with such other players.

A method for facilitating play of a multiplayer game by multiple players each playing an instance of single-player wager game at a workstation having a display, comprising the steps of:

• in a gaming server, aggregating multiple single-player wager game instances into a multiplayer game environment wherein the gaming server transmits datagrams to the workstations containing information whereby each player can view game action of other aggregated players on their display in addition to their own game action;
• providing in the single-player wager game a pay table in which one of the possible rewards for a turn of play of the single-player wager game is an award of a multiplier credit useable in a bonus game aspect of the single-player wager game;
• in the gaming server, randomly initiating play of the bonus game wherein during play of the bonus game, play of the single-player wager game by the workstations is temporarily suspended;
• wherein the bonus game is played by those players having accumulated at least one multiplier credit prior to the initiation of play of the bonus game by the gaming server;
• wherein multiplier credit for the players accumulates during a period prior to the triggering of the bonus game by the gaming server and is not subject to decrease in said period due to change in the rate of play or temporary interruption of play by the player;
• and
• generating for each player participating in the bonus game a result, the result generated randomly from the set of finite possible outcomes, wherein the winnings in the bonus game for a player participating in the bonus game is the product of the player's multiplier credit multiplied by the result, whereby a player participating in the bonus game obtains the winnings in the bonus game from the proprietor of the game and their winnings are independent of results for other players participating in the bonus game and are not shared with such other players.