(Note: in this article, a “local” casino is one whose customer base lives relatively nearby.)

The success of local casinos frequently depends on several visits per player per month. Typically these casinos “bribe” players to come in regularly. The bribery might be free play in 10 doses over a month — where each time the player must visit on one or two specific days or the free play is forfeited. Or players get point multipliers on days other than their free play pickup. Or players get a free gift but only on Tuesdays. Or players who come in Thursdays get 5x drawing tickets.

Ways of bribing local players are as limitless as the imaginations of marketing departments. And since casinos are frequently copycats, once one casino comes up with a new way to bribe players, variations on the theme are often quickly seen at nearby casinos.

It’s easy to understand why local casinos do this. Each visit is more revenue to the casino; more visits means more revenue. It’s almost as easy as 2 + 2 = 4. Except that in this case the arithmetic is frequently wrong, because it leaves some important factors out of the equation.

Visiting a casino takes time, energy, and money. If players have to make 12 trips a month to collect any (and all) goodies, many will decide they don’t want to play at that casino because they don’t have the time or the energy.

But what if a player could “buy” fewer casino trips with sufficient play? For example, those who played $100,000 of coin-in during a month could pick up all their free play and gifts any time during that month. Or perhaps $100,000 would get the free play; for play and gifts, it would take $200,000.

That approach opens up a casino to a whole lot more players. A player who lives 40 miles away might decide he likes your place well enough if he only has to come once or twice a month. If he has to come 12 times to get any benefits, it’s just too damn far. But if he only has to come once or twice, it’s a whole new ball game.

Players who used to play only $60,000 a month might decide to play more, to get the “don’t have to show up every time” benefits. Unless a casino is really close to capacity, it doesn’t really care when players come by. Why not let them come when it’s convenient for them? Some customers are retired with nothing but time on their hands; for them the current system works well. But others have a life outside of casinos. They work and have other responsibilities.

If a casino has local competition, it’s a safe bet that a significant percentage of its player base plays elsewhere as well. If players spend 10 hours driving between casinos, each month, because all the casinos they frequent give out bribes to come in several times a week, those 10 hours are essentially wasted time. If one or more casinos allowed them to come in fewer times each month without missing out on benefits, that could reduce the driving time and allow more time for gambling. Players only have so much time for gambling plus traveling to casinos. If you cut down on the travel time, players have more time to gamble. This extra time is shared, but the casino that allowed the player to come in less would likely get some of that.

Casino managers are very familiar with mantra that “more trips mean more revenue”. The proposed approach is outside that box – but the casino still gets just as much, or more, play. It merely gets it in larger — albeit fewer — doses. It still adds up to at least the same amount of revenue, with the possibility of much more.

Such a change wouldn’t affect all players at a casino. Many cannot or will not play more all at once. Okay, fine. The normal bribes are still in effect. But making provisions for those players who are willing to play “big” if they don’t have to come in as often opens up the door to more revenue for a casino, not less.

It may go against conventional wisdom to let players earn the right to come in less frequently, but it makes sense for the casinos and it makes sense for the players.

Bob Dancer is America’s premier video poker writer and teacher. He co-hosts a weekly radio show, Gambling with an Edge, on Thursday evenings from 7-8 p.m. Pacific Time from Las Vegas. This show is primarily geared towards players, although many casino managers listen as well. Old shows are archived on www.bobdancer.com/radio.cfm