Gaming system and method having configurable bonus game triggering outcomes

1. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to:

(a) maintain a bonus accumulation pool;

(b) if one of said gaming devices causes a designated bonus triggering event to occur:

(i) determine one of:

(1) to provide a gaming device triggered bonus, and

(2) to skip the gaming device triggered bonus,

(ii) if the determination is to provide the gaming device triggered bonus:

(1) cause said gaming device to display the gaming device triggered bonus, and

(2) provide a gaming device bonus award to a player of said gaming device, and

(iii) if the determination is to skip the gaming device triggered bonus, contribute an average expected payout of the skipped gaming device triggered bonus to the maintained bonus accumulation pool;

(c) determine whether to trigger a gaming system bonus; and

(d) if the determination is to trigger the gaming system bonus, provide a gaming system bonus award to at least one player of at least one of said gaming devices, wherein said gaming system bonus award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the determination of which player to provide the gaming system bonus award is based on the average expected payout of each gaming device triggered bonus skipped by each player of each of the gaming devices.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the designated bonus triggering event occurs independent of any displayed event in any play of any games of the gaming devices.

4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein if the determination is to trigger the gaming system bonus, the at least one controller is configured to provide the gaming system bonus award to a plurality of players of a plurality of said gaming devices.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the determination of one of: to provide the gaming device triggered bonus and to skip the gaming device triggered bonus, is based on at least one input made by the player of the gaming device which caused the designated bonus triggering event to occur.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of display devices are associated with said plurality of gaming devices.

7. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to:

(a) maintain a bonus accumulation pool;

(b) if one of said gaming devices causes a designated bonus triggering event to occur, contribute an average expected payout of a gaming device bonus to the maintained bonus accumulation pool, wherein a plurality of said gaming devices are each associated with a different gaming device bonus with a different average expected payout;

(c) determine whether to trigger a gaming system bonus; and

(d) if the determination is to trigger the gaming system bonus, provide a gaming system bonus award to at least one player of at least one of said gaming devices, wherein said gaming system bonus award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

8. The gaming system of claim 7 , wherein the determination of which player to provide the gaming system bonus award is based on the average expected payout of each gaming device bonus.

9. The gaming system of claim 7 , wherein the designated bonus triggering event occurs independent of any displayed event in any play of any games of the gaming devices.

10. The gaming system of claim 7 , wherein if the determination is to trigger the gaming system bonus, the at least one controller is configured to provide at least part of the gaming system bonus award to a plurality of players of a plurality of said gaming devices.

11. The gaming system of claim 7 , wherein a plurality of display devices are associated with said plurality of gaming devices.

12. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to:

(a) for a first set of plays of games of the plurality of gaming devices, if one of said gaming devices causes a designated bonus triggering event to occur, cause said gaming device to display a gaming device triggered bonus and provide a player of said gaming device a gaming device bonus award, and

(b) for a second set of plays of games of the plurality of gaming devices:

(i) maintain a bonus accumulation pool;

(ii) if one of said gaming devices causes the designated bonus triggering event to occur, contribute an average expected payout of the gaming device triggered bonus to the maintained bonus accumulation pool;

(iii) determine whether to trigger a gaming system bonus; and

(iv) if the determination is to trigger the gaming system bonus, provide a gaming system bonus award to at least one player of at least one of said gaming devices, wherein said gaming system bonus award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

13. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein the determination of which player to provide the gaming system bonus award is based on the average expected payout of each gaming device triggered bonus.

14. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein the designated bonus triggering event occurs independent of any displayed event in any play of any games of the gaming devices.

15. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein if the determination is to trigger the gaming system bonus, the at least one controller is configured to provide at least part of the gaming system bonus award to a plurality of players of a plurality of said gaming devices.

16. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein a determination of which set of plays of games is based on an input made by one of the players of one of the plurality of gaming devices.

17. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein a plurality of display devices are associated with said plurality of gaming devices.

18. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein one of said gaming devices determines said gaming device bonus award.

19. The gaming system of claim 12 , wherein said at least one controller determines said gaming system bonus award.

20. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:

(a) cause a designated bonus triggering event to occur;

(b) determine one of:

(i) to provide a triggered bonus, and

(ii) to skip the triggered bonus;

(c) if the determination is to provide the triggered bonus, display the triggered bonus and display a gaming system determined bonus award to a player; and

(d) if the determination is to skip the triggered bonus, cause an average expected payout of the skipped triggered bonus to be contributed to a bonus accumulation pool.

21. The gaming system of claim 20 , wherein the designated bonus triggering event occurs independent of any displayed event in any play of any game.

22. The gaming system of claim 20 , wherein the determination of one of: to provide the triggered bonus and to skip the triggered bonus, is based on at least one input made by the player.

23. The gaming system of claim 20 , wherein if the determination is to skip the triggered bonus, the player is eligible to win a bonus award, the bonus award at least including the average expected payout of the skipped triggered bonus.