Online gambling is legal, but is it right? Adland needs to decide
There’s nothing technically wrong with agencies working with a gambling client, but Think HQ boss Jen Sharpe believes adland needs to ask itself some serious questions about value and purpose.
Last week, the government received the long-awaited ‘You win some, you lose more’ report into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.
One recommendation in particular has raised the ire of the advertising and media industry – that being the complete ban of advertising for online gambling in three years.
In the midst of a cost of living crisis, what good is advertising doing? It’s trying to get people to spend more money. Shouldn’t it be banned? Why only gambling? Why not all of it- think of the harm it does.
The biggest difference between this and smoking in the 70s is people are absolutely fed up and pi**ed off with being told what to do from our governments who think they know what’s best for everyone, when its been proving countless times since the 70s that they just simply don’t.
And to be frank, I can’t fault people for thinking this way, or thinking that there’s always an agenda with any decision the government makes.
There’s clear shift in thinking amongst society and they’ve had enough of being told what to do.
No. We don’t decide. People who gamble need to decide.
Kind of like how the kids of the 80s who started smoking at 13 needed to decide?
Yes
Why stop at gambling advertising?
If Australian’s can’t be trusted to make their own decisions, then the Govt should ban any advertising that is encouraging discretionary or non-essential spending. This will get inflation down faster than raising interest rates….