Gaming, a behavior modification technique, was used in an attempt to decrease absenteeism in a dietary department of a 426-bed medical center. A lottery reward system was used to reinforce the appropriate behavior (as identified by management) of perfect attendance. The intervention strategy did lower the absenteeism rate from 2.46% to 2.03%, not significant when tested by one-way analysis of variance at the 0.05 level. However, from an administrative standpoint, the decline in absenteeism was important because of the potential monetary savings.