Barden-owned casino begins running TV ads

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2000 | 9:02 a.m.

The 30-second commercials, which show patrons playing slots and table games, will air on the ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates in Chicago, as well as on some cable stations in the south Chicago suburbs, said Jeff Bauer, senior director of marketing for the Majestic Star.

"In this market, we are the fifth-place boat when it comes to revenues," Bauer said Monday. "We do not have the name recognition that a Harrah's or even a Trump does in this market, and the purpose behind the TV slots is really to shout in the marketplace who we are and what we're all about, which is slots."

Federal communications law has long prohibited the casino industry from airing commercials that depict any form of gambling, including slot machines and playing cards, similar to the rules that once barred beer companies from showing beer consumption in commercials.

But the U.S. Supreme Court found the anti-betting rule unconstitutional last summer and ordered the Federal Communications Commission to draft new guidelines for the casino industry.

Majestic Star is the first casino in the Chicago area to capitalize on the loosened advertising rules and only the third casino in the nation to run such ads, according to industry observers.

The multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, created by the Chicago ad agency Ebel, Dunnell, Merrick, is designed to emphasize the boat's investments in its slot machines.

After being spurned by Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer in pursuit of one of three casinos planned for that city, Barden financed a ballot initiative in 1998 that sought to give him a casino license there. A lawsuit he filed against the city over its selection process was thrown out.

Majestic Star executives spent much of 1999 carving out a healthy share of the northwestern Indiana table-game market, largely though the establishment of the Signature Room, a VIP lounge.

Bauer said the boat has already installed $1 million in new machines and has plans to install another $1 million worth later this year.

The slogan chosen for the new television, billboard and radio ads is, "We've got your slots," which Majestic Star executives believe will help them capture a larger portion of the highly profitable slots market.

"We want to be known for slots," said Majestic Star general manager Michael Kelly said. "The FCC just changed the (advertising) rule. We're going to aggressively take advantage of it."

A casino in Las Vegas and one in Detroit also have aired commercials that show gamblers in action.