Why the Victoria Online Gambling Awareness Ad is a Blast

Wednesday 21 September, 2011 15:22

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Now I don't know if you've seen the new 'online gambling awareness TV ad' commissioned by the Victorian government, but believe me when I tell you it's a blast.

And I'm not just saying that because I happen to be a very responsible online gambling fan (10 years playing online and I still haven't come close to pawning the family silver), but because it still amazes me that there are folks out there that need the government to remind them to be responsible.

I've always thought that responsibility is something that comes with being an adult. Now I know that some adults out there are a bit too fond of gambling with money they perhaps don't have or cannot afford to lose, but is it really the responsibility of the government to step in and act like 'big brother', albeit a supposedly caring one?

For my two cents I think not. I like being an adult and being in control of myself and my actions, and I expect the same of other adults, when it comes to drink driving, smoking around children, and yes, gambling in any form. I don't want or need my government to tell me what books I can and cannot read, which movies I can and cannot watch, or potentially what I can do over the internet or not.

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Don't get me wrong, the Victorian online gambling awareness ad in question is not by any means telling online gamblers in the state that they cannot or should not gamble online, but that they should do so responsibly and that if they feel they should have a problem, they should seek help. I get it.

The Next Ad May Encourage Victorians To Stop Gambling Online

And in principle I don't have a problem with the 'tone' of the ad, but I can't help feeling that down the line the next ad might encourage Victorians to stop gambling online completely, or that the one after that might announce that online gambling is to be banned completely, essentially because of a small percentage of online gamblers who couldn't control themselves.

You may be thinking that I am jumping the gun and making a mountain out of a mole hill, or even being unfair to problem gamblers, but make no mistake, government intervention can be a slippery slope. An online gambling awareness ad one day could turn into an anti-online gambling ad the next. And where would that leave us responsible online gamblers?

Forced to gamble 'underground' at disreputable online gambling sites, that's where. Just look at how the U.S. online gambling ban has forced many previously honest online gamblers to flout the law in order to exercise their right to responsibly spend their own money online as they see fit.

For what it's worth, I truly do hope that I'm jumping the gun and that the Victorian government's online gambling awareness TV ad is nothing more than a gentle reminder that problem gamblers can seek help if they need it.

Author: Anton Johan

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