|
 Paddy
Power, Intercasino
Dwarfs the
Competition
Banned for using
seductive dwarfs in
"sleazy" ad
campaigns geared
towards children
What
do dwarfs, online
gambling and sex all
have in common?
Apparently two
Internet gambling
firms have a thing
for dwarfs seducing
underage gamblers.
But the stringent
Advertising
Standards Authority
(ASA) - a
British regulatory
body that began
monitoring online
gaming ads beginning
January 1 - won't
have any part in
this activity.
The ASA this week
ruled banned two
salacious ads
featuring dwarfs in
sexually
compromising acts.
Both adverts were
from Paddy Power and
Intercasino,
respectively.
The Paddy Power ad
claimed online
betting would
improve sexual
prowess and self
esteem. It
featured a dwarf in
a limousine flanked
by two beautiful
women, smoking a
cigar and holding up
a champagne glass.
A strapline
accompanying the
advert said: "Who
says you can't make
money being short?"
The Intercasino
campaign also
featured dwarves,
this time
undertaking
"Jackass-style"
stunts including
rolling down hills
in dice outfits and
sliding down
bell-ropes dressed
as fruit-machine
cherries.
That ad was
determined to be
geared towards young
children.
Both ads were
banned.
"We concluded the ad
suggested this man's
'shortcoming' had
been overcome by the
wealth he had
acquired through
gambling and
therefore that the
ad implied gambling
was a way to improve
self-esteem or gain
recognition or
admiration," the ASA
ruling said. "We
concluded the ad was
irresponsible."
Addiction experts
are blaming the
explosion of online
gambling for a
dramatic rise in the
number of young
people getting
hooked.
"Even kids as young
as nine years are
learning about
gambling. They may
not be gambling with
money, but they're
learning concepts of
gambling. They see
it," said Jon Kelly,
CEO of Ontario's
Responsible Gambling
Council.
-----
Payton O'Brien,
Gambling911.com
Publisher
CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published
April 25, 2008 1:26
am EST
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