A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:
- (a) prior to an initiation of a play of a bonus game:
- (i) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to determine if a qualifying event occurs in association with one of a plurality of gaming apparatuses,
- (ii) if the qualifying event occurs in association with one of said gaming apparatuses, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to associate at least one of a plurality of bonus game entries with said gaming apparatus, wherein each bonus game entry is associated with a probability of winning the play of the bonus game, and
- (iii) thereafter, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to repeat (i) to (ii) at least once, wherein (i) to (ii) are repeated until the play of the bonus game is initiated, the initiation of the play of the bonus game occurring distinct from any occurrence of the qualifying event, and for each of said gaming apparatuses, each of said plurality of bonus game entries are associated with said gaming apparatus prior to the initiation of the play of the bonus game such that prior to the initiation of the play of the bonus game, each of the bonus game entries available to be associated with said gaming apparatuses for said play of the bonus game are associated with said gaming apparatuses and after the initiation of the play of the bonus game, no additional bonus game entries are associated with any of said gaming apparatuses for the initiated play of the bonus game;
- and
- (b) when the play of the bonus game is initiated:
- (i) causing at least one of said gaming apparatuses to enable a player at said gaming apparatus to elect to:
- (A) not participate in the initiated play of the bonus game or (B) participate in the initiated play of the bonus game,
- (ii) if the player at said gaming apparatus makes an input to not participate in the initiated play of the bonus game, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to exclude any bonus game entries associated with said gaming apparatus from said initiated play of the bonus game,
- (iii) if the player at said gaming apparatus makes an input to participate in the initiated play of the bonus game, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine an outcome for said initiated play of the bonus game, wherein said determined outcome is based on the probabilities of winning the play of the bonus game associated with the bonus game entries associated with said gaming apparatuses that are not excluded from said initiated play of the bonus game, and
- (iv) causing at least one display device to display the determined outcome.