Poker Commercial causing Controversy

In New Zealand, a nine year old girl reported seeing a poker website commercial on television while watching The Simpsons. She reported seeing the commercial two times on two separate occasions. The girl told her father about the commercials. Her father happens to be John Stansfield, the Problem Gambling Foundation chief executive.

Stansfield says that the advertisement seems to be breaking a law in New Zealand that bans online gambling. The commercial has aired on TV3 and was spotted also by Melissa Gregan, the Problem Gambling Foundation health promotion adviser on November 15th and November 30th in the early evening hours. Both times were during the show The Simpsons.

Roger Beaumont, TV3's marketing director stated that the ad was found acceptable outside of children's programming time. It was classified the same as TAB and Lotto commercials. The Internal Affairs Department has been investigating several complaints about the commercial and will take action by the end of January.

Stansfield stated that the commercial encouraged young people that the game of poker is a game of skill. It also showed that a person could become a star if they practiced long enough. My daughter spotted it. She's 9. She was watching The Simpsons," he said."There were people with great ball-playing skills, and suddenly it switched to poker playing."We have been trying to get the Department of Internal Affairs to do something about it, but TV3 should pull it themselves."

The Gambling Act in New Zealand bans advertising for overseas gambling as well as online or remote interactive gambling unless it is done by the Lotteries Commission of New Zealand, under the Racing Act or produced by someone outside of the country or a promotion in the form of lottery. The commercial in question is by pokerstars. They have a website that allows players to play online using play money. They also have a real money site and Stansfield felt that the commercial would strongly appeal to young people.

TV3 has stated that the commercial is being run outside of children's program times. The time of children's programming is from 3pm to 4:30 pm on weekdays and 6:30 am to 9 am on Saturdays.