Is Blood Donation Too Much Like Gambling?

There's a very thoughtful post on blood donation over at this field is required. The author writes:

And there’s something that really bothers me about the United Blood Services center that I visit: they really overemphasize all of these stupid rewards programs for frequent donors. It’s tacky as hell, and somehow a little insulting. No, I don’t want to fill out a slip that will enter me in a sweepstakes to win a car. No, I don’t want to log in online and trade my points for prizes.

The author says she would prefer cash incentives to increase supply, or even no compensation at all. I agree with her but do see a potential for abuse. Read her original post and my comment here.