BCLC shows the downside of gambling offshore
This time last year, BCLC launched an advertising campaign for its PlayNow.com gambling site. An earnest 30-second anchor spot showed a parade of British Columbians extolling the virtue of betting with “the only legal gambling site in B.C.,” namely that all profits go back to the province.
But now, BCLC and its agency One Twenty Three West are showing the vices of bets placed with any site other than PlayNow—or, more accurately, the vices enjoyed by the offshore gambling sites easily accessible in the province.
A TV spot shows one outlandishly wealthy site owner—Chip of Chip’s Offshore Gaming—who loves when British Columbians bet with him because he makes money. “Lot’s of money.”
“Sure, some times you win a bet, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to pay you,” says Chip. “Well, not right away anyway.”
The spot ends with a voiceover reminding viewers that PlayNow is B.C.’s “local, safe and secure gambling site.”
“The data really drove the campaign strategy. A top motivator why players choose PlayNow.com is because it’s safe and secure,” said Clay Dube, BCLC’s senior specialist, brand and advertising, in a release. “People like that the money stays local and supports provincial programs. And of course, that they have easy access to their winnings.”
Along with the TV spot, directed by Michael Clowater from Radke, the campaign includes radio, social and digital. Cossette Media handled media.