4 ms·

I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows. But I really wish the advertising rules around it were changed. I would

I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows. But I really wish the advertising rules around it were changed. I would very much like it if the laws were similar to toy advertising in Japan. Ads are allowed, but you are not allowed to show ads for the product during the event. In Japan you can't show ads for Power Ranger toys during an airing of Power Rangers. Draft King wouldn't be allowed to show commercials during a baseball game and definitely would not be allowed to show you the betting odds in the seventh inning to make sure you bet before the game is over. The betting ads are just so ridiculous and blanket the broadcast that they make it seem like you're weird if you aren't constantly betting on every game.

fullshark 3y ago
Agreed, I now no longer want to watch sports with my children.
- jebarker 3y ago
  Out of interest, why? I haven't seen the commercials so don't understand why they'd be problematic for kids to see.
  - fullshark 3y ago
    It's just endless and I think gambling is a vice. Why make your kid a sports fan if its not about any generally positive things (perseverance, cultural touchstones, physical fitness) and just about putting them on the track to becoming a gambler.
    - jebarker 3y ago
      Makes sense. I feel similarly about the constant ads for beer and terrible food during sports broadcasts.
      - fullshark 3y ago
        Sure those are bad too, ultimately my sports fandom was a way to connect with my father and friends locally growing up. Truth is it's just entertainment and there's other ways to accomplish those things in 2023. These sports leagues are cashing in on the fact that live sports were the only thing propping up the lucrative cable tv and network tv business models, extracting whatever value they can. They are trying to transition to over the top streaming services and maybe it will happen or maybe a lot of people like me will decide there's more to life than if my local sports team defeats another city's sports team.
  - lancesells 3y ago
    Because gambling is a normalized, built-in part of sports broadcasts. There's no mention of age limits, addiction, drawbacks, etc. I watch the UFC and it's not even a commercial but part of the actual show. Odds, favorites, sponsor messages, etc. are built right into the broadcast. I don't think gambling is the worst thing out there but it's not a net plus for society and overall cheapens sports.
radicaldreamer 3y ago
Agreed. I also think alcohol ads should be restricted the same way smoking ads have been.
pixl97 3y ago
>I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows I'm not 100% sure on this one. The problem with gambling is it involves huge amounts of money, generally far more than the base product it is attached to. Much like MTX in games has changed the meta-game from playing the game to actually needing to buy as much in game content as possible to play the game, productized gambling changes the meta from the product to gambling. The further enshitification of the world around us. I'd go even further to legal, but not advertized when it comes to gambling. It is considered a vice for a number of valid reasons.
- lapetitejort 3y ago
  The proper way to legitimize a vice is with heavy regulation. Half the screen should be a scrolling red banner stating that you could ruin your life with gambling. Random chance games should show the result a split second after the decision, with zero fanfare (to avoid fake near misses). Same goes for smoking and drinking. Provide the product in a plain container plastered with warning labels.
  - faeriechangling 3y ago
    >Half the screen should be a scrolling red banner stating that you could ruin your life with gambling. We've had that forever, the biggest effect it has is legitimising the gambling industry, helping legitimise the idea that it's gamblers fault if they get addicted, and thus expanding gambling and thus making people poorer. >Random chance games should show the result a split second after the decision, with zero fanfare (to avoid fake near misses). This is a more interesting idea, and I don't think it's totally unviable to enforce it considering most gambling happens through fairly centralised avenues (major companies, app store, play store). I think it could be effective and is certainly one of the better pro-regulation ideas I've heard.
  - listenallyall 3y ago
    > Half the screen should be a scrolling red banner stating that you could ruin your life with gambling Has this ever been tried, is there any evidence it would reduce gambling? Or are you just guessing?
vkou 3y ago
Why allow ads for it at all? If someone desperately wants to gamble, they should be able to find them. If all the industry is doing is meeting an otherwise unmet vice demand, fine, okay, whatever, it's better than mob-ran gambling rings, but why on earth should we allow it to manufacture demand? An argument can be made that a world where someone who is hell-bent on gambling being allowed to legally gamble is better than one where he isn't. Fine. But what argument can be made that a world where more people are gambling is better than a world where fewer people are gambling? Why encourage it? Who benefits from installing heroin vending machines in schools?
dfxm12 3y ago
I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows. From time to time, I try to look up the impact of the newly legalized gambling in the US. I can never find any good comparison about addiction, people who got into trouble because gambling is so easy now, etc. I still know people who put in bets with "their guy", and I also know people who were otherwise OK who now all of a sudden have an addiction because gambling is basically frictionless. Overall, it's a big question mark for me as to if this is a good thing or not. A sibling commenter mentioned smoking ads. Even with cigarettes, you had to physically go to a store and physically pull out your payment method to buy them. With new online gambling, gambling is as frictionless as posting a tweet for anyone of age. Advertising is a big part of this yes, and like you allude to, the types of impulsive bets that are presented is even more ridiculous.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  There's plenty of research showing that online gambling is EXTREMELY addictive to gamblers.
faeriechangling 3y ago
>I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows. Why? It has increased the transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthy and heightened poverty while providing nothing of value you can't get from a game that's not for stakes. What social problems was underground betting actually causing? Was there actually some huge strain on police resources? Is it really a god thing that instead of a small number of gamblers being bankrupted by some shady characters, a much larger number are bankrupted by Disney? At least loan sharks and thugs put more money back into the local economy and small businesses.
- soperj 3y ago
  > What social problems was underground betting actually causing? Underground betting funds organized crime.
  - listenallyall 3y ago
    Primarily, the crime of bookmaking, so it's a circular argument.
    - soperj 3y ago
      Very doubtful that all the money accrued from underground gambling goes into more underground gambling.
      - listenallyall 3y ago
        Mafia rings that make money from bookmaking and then also deal in drugs, prostitution, protection rackets, etc have been nearly eliminated and live on today primarily due to Hollywood, The Sopranos, etc.
    - vkou 3y ago
      Mob bookies kill other bookies who encroach on their turf.
MisterBastahrd 3y ago
I don't. There's a far greater chance of harm to society in general by removing the stigma and making it easy than there ever was by making it something that only happened on the down low. Nobody's lives are ultimately enriched by betting unless you win a gigantic jackpot, and even then there are negative issues with that.

fullshark 3y ago

Agreed, I now no longer want to watch sports with my children.

jebarker 3y ago
Out of interest, why? I haven't seen the commercials so don't understand why they'd be problematic for kids to see.
- fullshark 3y ago
  It's just endless and I think gambling is a vice. Why make your kid a sports fan if its not about any generally positive things (perseverance, cultural touchstones, physical fitness) and just about putting them on the track to becoming a gambler.
  - jebarker 3y ago
    Makes sense. I feel similarly about the constant ads for beer and terrible food during sports broadcasts.
    - fullshark 3y ago
      Sure those are bad too, ultimately my sports fandom was a way to connect with my father and friends locally growing up. Truth is it's just entertainment and there's other ways to accomplish those things in 2023. These sports leagues are cashing in on the fact that live sports were the only thing propping up the lucrative cable tv and network tv business models, extracting whatever value they can. They are trying to transition to over the top streaming services and maybe it will happen or maybe a lot of people like me will decide there's more to life than if my local sports team defeats another city's sports team.
- lancesells 3y ago
  Because gambling is a normalized, built-in part of sports broadcasts. There's no mention of age limits, addiction, drawbacks, etc. I watch the UFC and it's not even a commercial but part of the actual show. Odds, favorites, sponsor messages, etc. are built right into the broadcast. I don't think gambling is the worst thing out there but it's not a net plus for society and overall cheapens sports.

radicaldreamer 3y ago

Agreed. I also think alcohol ads should be restricted the same way smoking ads have been.

pixl97 3y ago

>I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows I'm not 100% sure on this one. The problem with gambling is it involves huge amounts of money, generally far more than the base product it is attached to. Much like MTX in games has changed the meta-game from playing the game to actually needing to buy as much in game content as possible to play the game, productized gambling changes the meta from the product to gambling. The further enshitification of the world around us. I'd go even further to legal, but not advertized when it comes to gambling. It is considered a vice for a number of valid reasons.

lapetitejort 3y ago
The proper way to legitimize a vice is with heavy regulation. Half the screen should be a scrolling red banner stating that you could ruin your life with gambling. Random chance games should show the result a split second after the decision, with zero fanfare (to avoid fake near misses). Same goes for smoking and drinking. Provide the product in a plain container plastered with warning labels.
- faeriechangling 3y ago
  >Half the screen should be a scrolling red banner stating that you could ruin your life with gambling. We've had that forever, the biggest effect it has is legitimising the gambling industry, helping legitimise the idea that it's gamblers fault if they get addicted, and thus expanding gambling and thus making people poorer. >Random chance games should show the result a split second after the decision, with zero fanfare (to avoid fake near misses). This is a more interesting idea, and I don't think it's totally unviable to enforce it considering most gambling happens through fairly centralised avenues (major companies, app store, play store). I think it could be effective and is certainly one of the better pro-regulation ideas I've heard.
- listenallyall 3y ago
  > Half the screen should be a scrolling red banner stating that you could ruin your life with gambling Has this ever been tried, is there any evidence it would reduce gambling? Or are you just guessing?

vkou 3y ago

Why allow ads for it at all? If someone desperately wants to gamble, they should be able to find them. If all the industry is doing is meeting an otherwise unmet vice demand, fine, okay, whatever, it's better than mob-ran gambling rings, but why on earth should we allow it to manufacture demand? An argument can be made that a world where someone who is hell-bent on gambling being allowed to legally gamble is better than one where he isn't. Fine. But what argument can be made that a world where more people are gambling is better than a world where fewer people are gambling? Why encourage it? Who benefits from installing heroin vending machines in schools?

dfxm12 3y ago

I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows. From time to time, I try to look up the impact of the newly legalized gambling in the US. I can never find any good comparison about addiction, people who got into trouble because gambling is so easy now, etc. I still know people who put in bets with "their guy", and I also know people who were otherwise OK who now all of a sudden have an addiction because gambling is basically frictionless. Overall, it's a big question mark for me as to if this is a good thing or not. A sibling commenter mentioned smoking ads. Even with cigarettes, you had to physically go to a store and physically pull out your payment method to buy them. With new online gambling, gambling is as frictionless as posting a tweet for anyone of age. Advertising is a big part of this yes, and like you allude to, the types of impulsive bets that are presented is even more ridiculous.

mrguyorama 3y ago
There's plenty of research showing that online gambling is EXTREMELY addictive to gamblers.

faeriechangling 3y ago

>I think it's a good thing that gambling has been legalized and brought out the shadows. Why? It has increased the transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthy and heightened poverty while providing nothing of value you can't get from a game that's not for stakes. What social problems was underground betting actually causing? Was there actually some huge strain on police resources? Is it really a god thing that instead of a small number of gamblers being bankrupted by some shady characters, a much larger number are bankrupted by Disney? At least loan sharks and thugs put more money back into the local economy and small businesses.

soperj 3y ago
> What social problems was underground betting actually causing? Underground betting funds organized crime.
- listenallyall 3y ago
  Primarily, the crime of bookmaking, so it's a circular argument.
  - soperj 3y ago
    Very doubtful that all the money accrued from underground gambling goes into more underground gambling.
    - listenallyall 3y ago
      Mafia rings that make money from bookmaking and then also deal in drugs, prostitution, protection rackets, etc have been nearly eliminated and live on today primarily due to Hollywood, The Sopranos, etc.
  - vkou 3y ago
    Mob bookies kill other bookies who encroach on their turf.

MisterBastahrd 3y ago

I don't. There's a far greater chance of harm to society in general by removing the stigma and making it easy than there ever was by making it something that only happened on the down low. Nobody's lives are ultimately enriched by betting unless you win a gigantic jackpot, and even then there are negative issues with that.