PKR.COM IN TROUBLE WITH ASA

26 September 2008

Risks of gambling glamourised, says UK advertising regulator

The 3D poker site PKR.com is the latest focus of the British Advertising Standards Authority, which has banned the company's latest television advertisement because it feels the ad glamourises the risks involved in gambling.

The advert starts with camera on a debonair man and the voice-over "I’ve come in over the top of pot-sized raises with middle pair, bluffed under the gun with four runners behind me, folded pocket Kings on a hunch, I’ve survived bad beats, sick draws and cold decks" and features avatars competing in a virtual poker room.

The cool looking player then laughs as he pushes a big stack of chips into the middle of the table and the v/o continues: "...and I’ve played through fields of thousands to make the final table. Here I come".

PKR.com responded by claiming that the voice-over spoke in an even and balanced tone and did not refer to cash stakes or winnings. The company asserted that this, therefore, gave a realistic depiction of the opportunities involved in gambling and did not give the impression that it is financially beneficial to play on its site. It also added that the site also offered play for fun opportunities as well for real money.

The ASA accepted that the advertisement used poker terminology and said it understood that the phrases used referred to winning as well as losing. However, it found that the commercial gave the impression that it was acceptable to take risks on a hunch and implied that poker could be played in a reckless way.

The regulatory body also noted that the lead character was laughing as he pushed in his chips and found that the advertisement could be seen as glamourising the risks involved with gambling, making it irresponsible.

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