Singapore’s National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) thought that an anti-gambling ad focused on the World Cup would be great idea considering the wide reach of the games (and probably excessive gambling tied to the games). Unfortunately, the bad dad in the ad who bet his kid’s savings picked Germany to win it all and of course would now be quite rich.
This reminds me of the time in Vegas that my mom wanted to teach me that gambling doesn’t pay by putting two quarters in a slot machine and winning $300 on her first pull.
So what’s the NCPG’s response to the ironic outcome?
In brilliant and rapid form, the NCPG has updated its homepage with the message that the dad wants to bet “one more time” instead of returning the savings to his son. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you win. It’s an addiction that doesn’t stop by winning.
The upside, though, for the NCPG is all of the media coverage that it is now receiving because of the PSA fail.
Although this is a funny situation, let me add my voice to the cause and say that gambling is a very real problem that destroys lives and should be avoided.