Gaming system

A gaming system comprising:

• a plurality of gaming machines;
• and
• a central control unit connected to said plurality of gaming machines;
• and
• i) wherein each of the plurality of gaming machines comprises at least one visual display device, a credit input mechanism configured to allow a player to insert credit, and a card reader configured to enable a player to provide a player identification, each of the gaming machines being configured to:
• receive credit inserted by the player into the credit input mechanism;
• determine a credit balance;
• determine if the credit balance is a positive balance, and if the credit balance is positive, inform the player to participate in a cooperative game by joining in a cooperative gaming environment played by a plurality of players,
• contribute a portion of the credit balance as a wager amount to join the cooperative game in the cooperative gaming environment, and
• provide to the player an award from winnings obtained during the cooperative game;
• and
• ii) wherein the central control unit is configured to:
• in response to at least one of said players joining the cooperative gaming environment, draw a consensus of at least one gaming option from said at least one of said players,
• in response to a consensus from said at least one of said players having been reached:
• interact with said at least one of said players in order to present an invitation to allow a player to accept the invitation to join the cooperative gaming environment;
• receive information from one or more gaming machines indicating an acceptance to join the cooperative gaming environment, the wager amount at each gaming machine, a change of said wager amount at each gaming machine, and a change of a number of gaming machines participating in the cooperative game of the cooperative gaming environment;
• establish at least one rule for the cooperative game that can be played by the cooperative gaming environment after the receipt of information indicating said acceptance;
• interact with the at least one visual display device of each of the gaming machines in order to present the at least one rule for the cooperative game to allow the player of the gaming machine to accept said at least one rule prior to commencing the cooperative game;
• interact with each gaming machine in order to present an option to allow the player of the gaming machine to withdraw from the cooperative gaming environment prior to ending of gaming in the cooperative game as determined by the at least one rule,
• respond to the withdrawal of the player of the gaming machine from the cooperative gaming environment by allowing the cooperative games in progress to be completed and recording a status of all credit meters and a current amount won to determine a final amount that is to be distributed to each player, and
• distribute said current amount won based on a number of joined gaming machines and the current amount won, and
• in response to a consensus of at least one gaming option from said one or more players at said respective gaming machines not having been reached, resort to a default choice and ask said one or more players to accept said default choice or return to a standard game play.