Washington, D.C.— The Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling (CSIG) today launched its second web ad, part of a planned public awareness campaign about the dangers of legalized Internet gambling.
The new spot — “Don’t Bet On It” — will be seen by opinion leaders in Washington, D.C., Sacramento and Las Vegas through targeted digital and social media advertising.
The FBI’s Cyber Division has warned that age and physical location can be “spoofed,” and Morgan Stanley last week cited continuing problems with geolocation technology in New Jersey, which offers full-scale Internet gambling.
“I believe the recent $32.5 million settlement by Apple over in-app purchases made by kids on their parents’ iPads/iPhones is just the tip of the iceberg if online gambling continues to grow,” said Coalition National Co-Chair, former Senator Blanche Lincoln. “If kids can blow $2,600 in the app ‘Tap Pet Hotel,’ then think of what can happen when they get ahold of their parent’s password and start playing blackjack? It is a nightmare scenario for parents.”
The former U.S. senator sponsored the Internet Safety and Child Protection Act to combat Internet pornography, and has been a tireless advocate for children.
“When I hear the words Internet gambling, the first thing I think of are other parents like me with teenage and college age children. The last thing any parent wants is for their child is to have a casino in their pocket. It is one thing for them to reach a mature age and travel to a casino for entertainment. It is quite another for the casino to follow them around 24 hours a day 7 days a week putting at risk their credit rating, savings or even their college tuition,” she said.
Please visit StopInternetGambling.com for more resources on the concerns raised by law enforcement about the expansion of legalized Internet gambling.
The Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling’s mission is to restore the long-standing federal ban on Internet gambling. It will engage the public and policymakers on the threat posed by Internet gambling.
For more information or to arrange interviews with any of the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling National Co-Chairs, please contact Dan Wilson at dwilson@mercuryllc.com.