The National Lottery cause quite a stir with its controversial advertisements released recently. The television spots seemed to poke fun at the struggling industry of bingo halls. The reaction from the Bingo Association was outspoken and showed utter disappointment for the decisions of the National Lottery.
The commercial depicts an older woman riding a mobility cart, sadly passing a closed down Bingo hall. Then, after a “scratching” sound is heard (presumably playing a scratch-off lottery card) the scene changes over to the same woman suddenly riding by a tropical beach and smiling. It implies that the bingo hall is run-down and outdated, while the real winning happens by playing lotto scratch off games.
The leaders of the Bingo industry spoke out against the government run National Lottery. They made it clear that they were not happy with the offensive message, and that it was even more disappointing coming from the government backed organization.
This comes as an insult to injury, given the recent new laws passed by this same government that are things so difficult for Bingo halls to continue to operate. Many have had to close due to the new restrictions, bringing the overall success of the industry to a serious low.
Some critics are even comparing the situation to the absurd practice of the American government when it limited internet gambling for the good of the American people. The struggling industry does plan to continue to speak out against this malicious advertising campaign, and is asking the National Lottery to pull these ads from all future planned airings.
