Paddy Power Has to Remove Advertising Sign
One of the biggest signs that online gambling is being accepted by the mainstream market is the inclusion of corporate sponsors in the advertising campaigns. Just look at the WSOP—it started years ago and no one thought that big name corporate sponsors would want anything to do with it. If you look at the most recent years though, this has changed drastically. Now there are huge corporate sponsors spending millions of dollars to get their advertisements up on the WSOP circuit. The tournament if broadcast vie ESPN and ESPN2 to millions of avid poker players and watchers. This is just one sign of where the world of gambling is heading. It is no longer an underground activity, but rather is becoming a huge pastime for millions of gamers. Still- there is some resistance to the issue. For example, the council of Monmouthshire is not happy about Paddy Power’s advertisement of gambling through a 250-foot high billboard. The online casino is pushing for further promotion by using huge print advertising campaigns and banner ads. The company’s operators know how lucrative the market is. Paddy Power is already one of the biggest online casinos around, and now operators are pushing for the next level. Unfortunately, they may have to remove the billboard.
The billboard is up at Celtic Manor, the house of the Ryder Cup, and has just been targeted by authorities. They say that the structure has to be taken down immediately. Paddy Power issued a statement talking of their disappointment with the decision of the council. They also contend that this is an example of them being a ‘victim of bureaucracy’. Still the company is agreeing to remove the advertisement billboard. They aren’t looking to push for an appeal to the court system. Rather they are going to put their advertising efforts in other directions as the market continues to expand. Paddy Power is still bringing up some poignant issues to the market. If a company is a paying advertiser, can third-part companies and the court decide they aren’t worthy of full advertising packages? Is this going to be indicative of how future gambling companies are going to be treated in the market.
Tags: advertising, billboard, Monmouthshire, Paddy Power
