Advertising standards in Australia are quite strict when it comes to the marketing of gambling activities. Recently, a TAB advertisement has become the subject of criticism, after responsible gambling advocate Tom Cummings filed a complaint with the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB). The ad in question is part of the ‘It’s Betting Season’ campaign from TAB, according to a report in Ad News.
One of the advertisements features two men leaping with joy and holding TAB shopping bags, which are overflowing with betting slips. The tagline says ‘Time to Go Shopping’, with which Mr Cummings has taken issue. The marketing firm that created the ad, WhybinTBWA Group Sydney, state that it is only a light-hearted comparison between the thrill that women get from shopping and the excitement that men experience when betting.
However, Mr Cummings does not agree. He is concerned that comparing shopping to betting normalises gambling, conveying the activity as harmless and risk-free. “Re-branding betting as shopping is deceptive and misleading,” he says. “Not only is this a sexist assumption but it is inaccurate and dangerous.
Gambling is not shopping; it involves no goods received , no receipts and no refunds. If (unlike shopping) you buy a bet that doesn’t work out, you can’t get your money back.” The ASB must ensure that gambling ads do not misrepresent that activity, and that is exactly what TAB’s new ad campaign is doing – according to Mr Cummings.
However, a representative from the ASB has denied that any other complaints have been made about this particular campaign.
While gambling ads are often the subject of ASB complaints, this one in particular has not ruffled too many feathers thus far. Mr Cummings does have quite the following on his Cyenne blog, so there is the possibility that others will take up his cause and file similar complaints.
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