Scott Gnau, general manager of Terabyte, explains, in the excellent book Super Crunchers, what casino managers do when they see a regular customer nearing their pain point: “They come out and say, ‘I see you’re having a rough day. I know you like our steakhouse. Here, I’d like you to take your wife to dinner on us right now.’ ” This might seem the height of generosity: a free steak dinner. But really it’s self-serving.
