You’re Never Alone With A Casino
YOU’RE never alone with a casino. So says the advert.
From September, casinos, betting shops and internet gaming sites in the UK will be able to advertise on radio and TV. Gambling advertising has been limited to billboards and print.
Good news for the gambling industry, which seeks to profit from the Gambling Act. And, one imagines, good news for broadcasters now able to earn from the industry.
Perhaps this will encourage ITV to do away with its phoneline quizzes, which can resemble the back-of-the-suitcase game of Find The Lady as contestants try to find Rawl Plugs and a balaclava in a woman’s handbag.
But not everyone is happy. And in the Mail there are dark warnings from the Church.
Toby Scott, a spokesman for the Methodist Church, tells the paper: “The whole purpose of these adverts is to encourage more people to gamble.”
Who says the Church does not have its finger on the cultural pulse?
He goes on: “The fear is that – with more people taking part in gambling – there will be more people who develop a gambling problem. That in turn could lead to more families suffering, because the money they need is being diverted elsewhere.”
A Church Of England Spokesman adds: “We have strong reservations about the effects of liberalising the law.”
But before the Church is forced to open its coffers and spread its wealth to the poor, we read of the rules.
As the Guardian reports, the advertising will fall under the auspices of the Advertising Standards Authority.
Adverts must not imply that winning massive amounts at a casino are a solution to financial problems. We already have the National Lottery and scratch cards for that.
They should not appeal to the young and children. So no Ronald McDonald-style figure palming out tubs of Casino Chips and doing battle with Black Jack.
And the adverts must not link gambling with getting more sex from more attractive partners.
This is not to say that such a thing is impossible, just that it should not be advertised.
Well, you know how it is, once you’ve learned the secret of pulling, you’ll be hooked…
Posted: 13th, March 2007 | In: Money Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
