An online gambling advertisement was recently shown on a local Australian television channel, TV3. A 9 year old girl who’s father apparently allowed her to view the Simpson’s television show believes that a pokerstars commercial shown during one of the shows breaks was inappropriate.
The girls father, Problem Gambling Foundation’s Chief Exec. John Stansfield says that the gambling ad is in breach of a law banning online gambling. He further complained that the ad which utilizes advertising techniques said to be comparable to ads ran by Nike misleads the youth.
Despite Stansfields objections TV3 stands by their decision to air the gambling commercial, stating the gambling ad was “vetted [or approved] by the Television Commercials Approval Bureau which pre-screens all TV ads before they go to air, in line with the Advertising Standards Authority guidelines”.
Marketing Director for TV3 Roger Beaumont explained that the add was not aired during children’s programming time. “This ad was deemed acceptable outside of children’s program time – the same classification awarded to TAB and Lotto commercials.” Beaumont said.
Melissa Gregan, Health Promotion Adviser for the Problem Gambling Foundation says differently however. She says that the commercial aired at 7:40pm on the 15th of November and again at 5:09pm on the 30th. Both of these occurrences claims Gregan, were during the Simpson’s television show.
Stansfield said the PokerStars advertisement which featured the online poker room PokerStars.net, the play money version of PokerStars.com, commercial encouraged ‘young people’ to think of poker as a skill game, he went on to say that children watching the commercial will be given the idea that can be stars themselves if they practice enough.
“My daughter spotted it. She’s 9. She was watching The Simpson’s,” said Stansfield to the press.
In the Simpson’s movie, viewers are treated to Bart Simpson riding his skateboard across town “naked as a jaybird”, on a dare from his dad for profit. As was pointed out by Cristina Lakey a United States mother located in Portland Oregon who believes that the Simpson’s television show is simply not appropriate for her young children, and marginally appropriate for pre-teens.
Fun Quotes from The Simpson’s Television Show:
- “Marge, I’m going to miss you so much. And it’s not just the sex. It’s also the food preparation.”
- “What’s the name of that religion,” Homer asks Lisa, “with all the well-meaning rules that don’t work in real life?”
- “Your mother has this crazy idea that gambling is wrong. Even though they say it’s okay in the bible.”
- “Now, son, you don’t want to drink beer. That’s for daddies and kids with fake IDs.”
Parentstv.org a popular online website offering advice and information for parents calls the show ‘questionably suitable’ for children.
There is an investigation underway regarding this similar complaints from several sources that disagree with the airing of even play money poker. The New Zealand Herald reports that a decision should be made on the matter by the end of January.
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