Online Casino Ads Criticized by Irish TV
It seems that online casinos are not so popular among the more conservative and religious Presbyterian public in Ireland. As reported by the Belfast Telegraph, Ulster TV has been vehemently criticized for displaying online casino advertisements on its website. David McIIveen, a high-profile Free Presbyterian minister said that Ulster TV’s acceptance of the online casino ads were blameworthy, and that executives responsible of advertising should permanently mark these ads off their broadcasting roster.
The Reverend McIlveen, also known for his previous comments on the rise of online casino gambling in Ireland, had this to say: ‘They (Ulster TV) are trying to create a strong and constructive family image, yet these ads are highly destructive. The inclusion of any temptation to gamble is reprehensible – gambling can ruin lives. I believe they need to review this because it’s not as if they need the extra revenue.’ Because Ulster TV reaches so many outlets – such as schools, thousands of web users using its Internet providing services, and television viewers – it is feared among many that online casino gambling will become so commonplace, that more and more players will develop unhealthy, and even addictive, gambling habits. One spokesman for Gamblers Anonymous stated that since the onset of online casinos, a greater number of people have begun crying out for help to cure them from their gambling addiction.
All types of online casino ads can be found in different types of entertainment media. Now this new industry is everywhere, all the time – on the Internet, on TV, on the radio, and on posters plastered on taxis and subway walls. Ireland is feeling the effects of this new form of entertainment, with children skipping school in order to gamble at online casino sites. Many are afraid that this is only the beginning. With such protest and criticism, only time will tell whether online gambling ads will continue to be broadcast and promoted through mainstream media, or if they will be stopped and forced to find another way of drawing in new players to their virtual casino doors.
