Advertisement for Pokerstars blocked due to alleged recklessness.
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has recently removed a commercial for the world's biggest online poker platform, Pokerstars. The company is accused of promoting a morally questionable form of "bluffing" in the advertisement, which may negatively impact inexperienced players. Pokerstars has defended the concept, but they have faced similar issues before.
The ad has been on the air since October 2017, attracting complaints from the public. The regulator took issue with the portrayal of gambling as being based on recklessness, suggesting to new players that they could quickly become wealthy if they were unscrupulous enough.
After reviewing the ad, the ASA has upheld these complaints. The advertising regulator has deemed it an act of "social irresponsibility" and "misleading advertising," as it promotes a form of gambling that could potentially lead to financial losses. Pokerstars was informed that the advertisement could no longer be aired in its current format.
The Bluffer's Game
The ad, thematically, explores the human tendency towards self-deception. Pokerstars promoted the slogan "If you can bluff yourself, you can bluff anyone."
The plot revolves around a poker game between friends of college age. The main character is a supposedly inexperienced player seated at the end of the table. Faced with an unfavourable playing situation, his tension increases. The only way to rescue himself is to bluff. A voice-over speaks:
"How many times have you cheated yourself? How many times have you believed a lie? Think of the pull-up bar up there that's still waiting to get you back in shape. Think of the new desk you've been wanting to set up next Sunday for three years. Remember your parents, who have definitely never had sex... Come on, poker master - show them."
The player's features relax due to the revelation, turning into a poker face. The choruses and trumpets build up to a climax as the player confidently places all his chips in the middle. The ad concludes with the line, "You're already a good poker player."
Bluffing or Lying?
The ASA doesn't see the joke in bluffing in poker and the practice of deceiving oneself in everyday life: "Winning an opponent in poker involves a combination of strategy, skill, and luck. To be able to bluff your opponents regularly, you must first understand these fundamental aspects of the game."
Pokerstars, on the other hand, has responded to the accusations. The Stars Group company asserts that no financial rewards were suggested or shown in the ad. Additionally, bluffing is considered an "integral part" of poker and is a game skill that new players can understand. However, this does not mean that poker is easy to play, they continue. Portraying new players as targets for advertising purposes was never their intention, according to Pokerstars. Instead, it simply highlights the fact that bluffing is not an illegal act, but a common aspect of life.
Pokerstars is no stranger to British advertising watchdog the ASA with regards to its commercials - a far more intense advertisement by the provider was banned in 2010. In the banned clip, the ten commandments were quoted, with "Pokerstars" players meeting gruesome ends. For example, some were poisoned, shot, or set on fire. Compared to this earlier ad, the current one is relatively harmless, but Pokerstars may have learned a lesson.
In the future, Pokerstars should be more aware of its social responsibility in marketing, concluded the ASA. And Pokerstars should have realized by now that the authorities are not bluffing.
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Source: www.onlinecasinosdeutschland.com
