The Independent Gaming Authority has recently decided to replace South Australia’s existing gambling message. To back the state’s new, strict stance on problem gambling, IGA Director Robert Campbell has asked for residents to propose a new ‘hard-hitting’ slogan to urge players to gamble responsibly. Currently, the state’s gambling message consists of the quite generic motto, ‘gamble responsibly’.
It was agreed upon in 2008, and IGA representatives feel that it no longer reflects the organisation’s stance on responsible gambling. The group wants the message to serve as a warning, similar to those placed on cigarette packaging – rather than simply asking players to take responsibility for their gambling spending.
Square Holes has been invited to develop and test slogans on http://www.squareholes.com/iga/, where members of the general public can submit their own suggestions. IGA Director Robert Chappell has provided previous slogans as examples, including:
– “Warning! Gambling May Damage Your Family”
– “You may lose more than you think, including your marriage, family, home, superannuation and employment”
– “You could face eviction, bankruptcy, suicidal thoughts, be unable to buy food, suffer from depression and have your electricity cut off’’
While the previous messages seem a bit harsh, they do seem to drive the point home much harder. The IGA believes that the current slogan is a bit too tame, and that the new message should reveal the worst-case scenarios to ensure that players know exactly what could happen if they let their spending get out of control.
We are very interested to see what type of suggestions that local residents come up with. We will keep you posted with the results of the survey and let you know what the new slogan will be.
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