Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by mejari 3420 days ago
I don't believe casinos are allowed to advertise that you will walk out with a lot of money either. Only that you might. Restaurants advertise in such a way that suggests you may have the absolute best night of your life and meet all sorts of new friends, that doesn't mean they are promising it.
2 comments
hyperbovine 3420 days ago
Pfft. That's a pretty unconvincing argument. Here's a selection of ads from a casino in the Bay Area. The insinuation that you'll strike it rich (and date three tiers up, if you're a man) is pretty strong:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loFmADztvak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzVr8-gHUN4

The tobacco industry got banned from using this sort of psychological advertising years ago, I don't see why casinos should be treated any different.

link
mejari 3420 days ago
"cash club members can win in wonderful ways"

You're proving my point exactly. I never said there wasn't an insinuation that if you play you could win, just that there is no guarantee given. See my other reply for examples of non-casino businesses doing the exact same thing.

link
weberc2 3420 days ago
It seems like everyone else in this thread is talking about insinuated promises, and you're appearing to refute them by saying they weren't actual promises. No one disputes that they are only insinuations, so either you're posting off topic, or you're refutation is invalid. Take your pick.
link
weberc2 3420 days ago
> I don't believe casinos are allowed to advertise that you will walk out with a lot of money either. Only that you might.

I never claimed otherwise. Did you read my post?

> Restaurants advertise in such a way that suggests you may have the absolute best night of your life and meet all sorts of new friends, that doesn't mean they are promising it.

I've never seen such an advertisement, nor have I heard of anyone putting up the deed to their house or the title of their car to pay for their restaurant habit.

link
mejari 3420 days ago
>I never claimed otherwise. Did you read my post?

Yes, I did. You said

>Movie theaters also don't advertise in such a way that suggests will walk out with a lot of money.

in response to someone comparing movie theaters to casinos. Your comment is obviously suggesting that you believe casinos advertise "in such a way that suggests will walk out with a lot of money".

>I've never seen such an advertisement

Check out any chain restaurant advertisement. Here is an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CbVVq4GStc

>nor have I heard of anyone putting up the deed to their house or the title of their car to pay for their restaurant habit.

So you're changing the point from "they advertise in a misleading way" to "people can become addicted to it"? That is a different argument so I want to be clear if we're moving on from the original point.

link
weberc2 3420 days ago
What I said:

> ... advertise in such a way that suggests will walk out with a lot of money

What you said:

> ... advertise that you will walk out with a lot of money either. Only that you might.

No one said casinos advertise that you will for sure walk out with a lot of money; my point was that they imply that you will walk out with a lot of money. The distinction seems obvious to me.

> So you're changing the point from "they advertise in a misleading way" to "people can become addicted to it"? That is a different argument so I want to be clear if we're moving on from the original point.

The point was never that casino advertisements are misleading, but other advertisements are honest; the point was that casino advertisements are misleading in ways that are ultimately life-ruining. For similar reasons, we hold cigarette and alcohol companies accountable for the content of their advertisements.

link
mejari 3420 days ago
>No one said casinos advertise that you will for sure walk out with a lot of money

I don't see the difference between what I said you said and what you said. You were obviously saying they implied that someone will definitely walk out with money. That's what I said you said.

link
weberc2 3420 days ago
There's a difference between a promise and an implied promise. You were speaking about the former and I was speaking about the latter. I don't know how better to explain this.
link