Canadian Calls To Halt Poker TV Coverage
Published: Friday, August 12, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
CANADIAN CALLS TO HALT POKER TV COVERAGE
Close the play money loophole, say critics
Online poker operators using the "play money" loophole to get publicity in the States and Canada - see earlier Online-Casinos.com reports - may have to rethink their strategy if Canadian critics get their way. This week the Globe and Mail newspaper reported calls for broadcasters to close the loophole that allows online poker rooms to advertise on Canadian television.
With poker's recent surge in popularity, sports channels are filling their broadcast schedules with Texas Hold 'Em tournaments, and poker websites are eager to advertise. The Criminal Code makes it illegal to advertise Internet gambling in Canada, but many broadcasters welcome advertising from 'play money' versions of popular casinos like PartyPoker and PokerStars.
The play money poker and casino sites typically have the same name as the real casinos but use a .net suffix instead of .com. These sites don't allow real gambling, but use e-mail to refer interested consumers to sites where they can actually gamble.
Rick Broadhead, a Toronto-based Internet consultant, said the practice makes Canadian regulations look ridiculous because online casinos and broadcasters have found a way around them.
Most private television broadcasters submit commercials to a self-regulatory industry association called Telecaster Services before they're aired.
The Globe and Mail says that material for seven 'play money' sites has been approved by Telecaster, while many ads have been rejected, quoting Jim Patterson, president and chief executive officer of the Television Bureau of Canada.
