Gaming apparatus (1), e.g. an Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM), includes a controller (2) for implementing e.g. a slot-machine game, casino game or the like. The controller (2) displays a suitable gaming image on a screen (6), e.g. virtual symbol reels or card hands, and a player interacts with the EGM 1 through buttons (8) or the like, e.g. to spin the reels or deal cards. The apparatus includes award means for awarding a player event points during the course of play, accumulator means for accumulating the awarded event points, and purchasing/selection means for allowing a player to purchase a game event using the accumulated event points. These game events may provide the player with the chance of higher returns or the like, and may include free plays, high return games, a jackpot game and the like.