Kanetuck
Legend
Bronze Level
So, the recent news about many you tube videos being taken down got me to thinking. Should advertising for online poker or casinos be restricted?
I had a good friend that was an alcoholic and had 30 years clean. He had also been a therapist that dealt with addictions. He used to take issue with the amount of hard liquor commercials that are on television now. He talked about recommending that recovering alcoholics to stay away from the outside aisle in the grocery store that had the beer. But other than not having television, there was no way to keep the commercials from entering the home. There are obviously people that have gambling addictions. So should the advertising for casinos and online poker be restricted to channels designed for those activities?
I personally don't think pharmaceutical companies should be advertising meds. Don't get me wrong, some of the ads are comical. I will never forget the ad for the med that reduced hair loss in men but had a possible side effect of impotence. I am sure that one flew off the rack!
I feel like there has to be some kind of balance between free speech and being considerate of others. I don't think something should ever be outlawed because a portion of the population has a problem. However, just because something is available, doesn't mean we have to promote it or advertise it to the general public. For example, to me there is a difference between advertising for online poker during a regular sitcom or advertising for online poker during a broadcast of the final table of a poker tournament. I have noticed some of the online sites and the fantasy sports sites offering bonuses for referring a friend. Some of them make it easy to refer your entire contact list. I have plenty of people I still consider to be friends, but I certainly am not close enough in their life right now to know if any of them have a gambling issue. So, I haven't done any referrals. I would feel bad if I did a simple referral and found out a few years later someone lost their house. I know it sounds a bit over the top, but not everyone knows bankroll management. Some people have never learned the lesson, if you don't have it to lose, don't gamble.
So, what do you think? Should there be restrictions for advertisements for online poker? If so, how would you do it? While you are at it, what about drugs and alcohol? How would you do that?
I had a good friend that was an alcoholic and had 30 years clean. He had also been a therapist that dealt with addictions. He used to take issue with the amount of hard liquor commercials that are on television now. He talked about recommending that recovering alcoholics to stay away from the outside aisle in the grocery store that had the beer. But other than not having television, there was no way to keep the commercials from entering the home. There are obviously people that have gambling addictions. So should the advertising for casinos and online poker be restricted to channels designed for those activities?
I personally don't think pharmaceutical companies should be advertising meds. Don't get me wrong, some of the ads are comical. I will never forget the ad for the med that reduced hair loss in men but had a possible side effect of impotence. I am sure that one flew off the rack!
I feel like there has to be some kind of balance between free speech and being considerate of others. I don't think something should ever be outlawed because a portion of the population has a problem. However, just because something is available, doesn't mean we have to promote it or advertise it to the general public. For example, to me there is a difference between advertising for online poker during a regular sitcom or advertising for online poker during a broadcast of the final table of a poker tournament. I have noticed some of the online sites and the fantasy sports sites offering bonuses for referring a friend. Some of them make it easy to refer your entire contact list. I have plenty of people I still consider to be friends, but I certainly am not close enough in their life right now to know if any of them have a gambling issue. So, I haven't done any referrals. I would feel bad if I did a simple referral and found out a few years later someone lost their house. I know it sounds a bit over the top, but not everyone knows bankroll management. Some people have never learned the lesson, if you don't have it to lose, don't gamble.
So, what do you think? Should there be restrictions for advertisements for online poker? If so, how would you do it? While you are at it, what about drugs and alcohol? How would you do that?