Web Publishers Take Gamble with Casino Ads

I wrote an article for Wired News today about efforts by the U.S. government to go after web publishers who run gambling ads.

One of the biggest losers is Sporting News, the media company owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. In January, the company surrendered $4.2 million in revenue to avoid prosecution for advertising gambling sites between 2000 and 2003 in its magazine, as well as on its website and syndicated radio network.
Tune in Sporting News Radio today and you'll hear the other half of the settlement -- a $3 million, three-year barrage of anti-gambling public service ads.

I've listened to Sporting News Radio since it was One on One Sports in the early '90s. The network began in Las Vegas and had frequent gambling coverage -- hosts Arnie Spanier and Papa Joe Chevalier regularly discussed betting lines with callers -- but the practice seemed to occur less frequently after the network moved to Chicago.

In recent years, the network ran Internet casino and sportsbook ads so frequently I wondered if Congress had legalized the activity.

The announcers on the network's anti-gambling ads have an eat-your-vegetables delivery that's not quite as enthusiastic as the old gambling commercials.

Wired News · Sports · Politics · Podcasts · 2006/04/14 · 1 COMMENT · Link

Comments

The land based casinos are behind the lobby to ban online gambling ads, in order to prevent the growing popularity of online casinos. It's only a matter of time when the land casinos owners will have more online properties and the online gambling will be legalized. Yet, I can't tell what is the exact timeframe.

#1 · James · 2006/06/23