OUT TO LUNCH
There is a regular advert on the radio station I listen to for online gambling. This is on a radio station that carries no advertising for tobacco products (are they even allowed to advertise these days?) or for alcohol (also probably not allowed to advertise).
Indeed, listening to an afternoon show I got the impression that they are not even permitted to admit the existence of alcoholic beverages during prime time listening hours lest the weak and susceptible raid the local bottle store or the underaged sneak down to Dad’s drinks cupboard in the dead of night and put his treasured bottle of Lagavulin 16 year old to their lips.
So we are to be protected from alcohol and ciggies but not from online gambling…. for our own good naturally. Now I’m not a prescriptive type of person and I believe that man should be free to live his life as he wishes and if he stuffs up; well it’s his own fault. I find the whole idea of allowing online gambling adverts but not allowing adverts for booze, tobacco products or even soft recreational drugs a little bit hypocritical; particularly considering the wording and the presentation of the radio advertisement.
Let’s call the company JollyGoodBets to save the advertiser from embarrassment. The ad opens with what Don Corleone would call ‘an offer you can’t refuse’. You can win millions apparently every day by just going online, registering, handing over a few personal particulars, parting with your credit card details and you are offered an array of opportunities to increase your net asset value. Then comes the spiel at an unpunctuated speaking pace that no normal human could be expected to process and it goes a bit like this:
JollyGoodBetsaregisteredonlinegamblingthingy JollyGoodBetssupportsresponsiblegambling winnersknowhentostop noundereighteensarepermittedtobet thebettinghelplineisblahblahblah.