Gaming industry developing advertising guidelines

Brian Seals

Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998 | 10:43 a.m.

The tobacco industry is being berated for its advertising practices, but the gaming industry says it's taking an anticipatory stance to avoid such attacks.

In anticipation of a ruling allowing broadcast gaming advertising nationwide, American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. said Wednesday he is crafting voluntary guidelines for broadcast ads. The guidelines would be considered by the association's board.

"What we're working on now is a voluntary set of criteria for our advertising where the industry sets its own rules," Fahrenkopf said in an address to the Las Vegas Advertising Federation. "It's those sort of things I'm trying to take the lead in so on down the road we don't get attacked."

Fahrenkopf said that though gaming opponents often analogize gambling to tobacco and alcohol, such analogies aren't valid. For starters, the gaming industry has funded studies to prevent problem gambling and help problem gamblers, he said.

"We've stepped right up to the plate up front," Fahrenkopf said prior to his speech. "We as an industry are taking the opposite track that the tobacco industry took."

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering an appeal of a lower court ruling that held broadcast advertising by the gaming industry is constitutionally protected free speech. Nevada and New Jersey casinos have attained court orders allowing them to advertise on radio and TV until the Supreme Court ruling is made.

The prospect of self-policing of the industry's advertising didn't impress at least one group that is a traditional gambling foe. Arne Owens of the Christian Coalition said during a telephone interview that any advertising, including gambling, is designed to show a product in its best light.

"It's certainly not going to be part of the solution to the problem of the habitual gambler," Owens said.

Such efforts still gloss over what Owens said were the ill effects of gaming. While opponents maintain gaming has increased crime and caused other social ills, backers of gaming say it has increased employment and spurred economic development in areas where it has been introduced. Both sides have funded studies to prove their respective positions.

Fahrenkopf said part of the AGA's mission is to counter what he said was often baseless information promulgated by gambling foes. He acknowledges the opponents had a head start until the AGA was created more than two years ago to mitigate what he said was in some cases false information.

Owens, meanwhile, said the Christian Coalition launched an initiative Wednesday dubbed Families 2000 that includes efforts to curb the expansion of gambling.