Gaming system and method for providing a plurality of chances of winning a progressive award with dynamically scalable progressive award odds

A gaming system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• receive a placement of one of a plurality of different wager amounts on a play of a game, wherein:
• at least one of the wager amounts is associated with an eligibility to win a progressive award and is not associated with any progressive award additional opportunity sequence, and
• at least one of the wager amounts is associated with the eligibility to win the progressive award and a progressive award additional opportunity sequence, and
• responsive to the received wager amount being associated with the eligibility to win the progressive award, and following a determination to not provide the progressive award in association with the play of the game, an occurrence of an event in association with the play of the game, and a determination to trigger the progressive award additional opportunity sequence, determine whether to provide the progressive award in association with the progressive award additional opportunity sequence, wherein:
• the determination is based, at least in part, on the received wager amount,
• a first of the wager amounts associated with the eligibility to win the progressive award and the progressive award additional opportunity sequence is associated with a first non-zero probability of winning the progressive award in association with the progressive award additional opportunity sequence, and
• a second, higher of the wager amounts associated with the eligibility to win the progressive award and the progressive award additional opportunity sequence is associated with a second, higher probability of winning the progressive award in association with the progressive award additional opportunity sequence.

A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

• receiving a placement of one of a plurality of different wager amounts on a play of a game, wherein:
• a first of the wager amounts is not associated with any eligibility of being provided a progressive award,
• a second of the wager amounts is associated with an eligibility to be provided the progressive award and a first probability of being provided the progressive award in association with the play of the game,
• a third of the wager amounts is associated with the eligibility to be provided the progressive award and a second probability of being provided the progressive award in association with the play of the game,
• the third of the wager amounts is greater than the second of the wager amounts, and
• the second probability of being provided the progressive award is greater than the first probability of being provided the progressive award,
• responsive to the second of the wager amounts being received and in association with the play of the game, determining, by a processor, whether to provide the progressive award, said determination being based on the first probability of being provided the progressive award, and
• responsive to the third of the wager amounts being received and in association with the play of the game, determining, by the processor, whether to provide the progressive award, said determination being based on the second probability of being provided the progressive award.