All advertisements serve one general-purpose and that is to promote a particular product, cause, movement or whatever there is in need of promotion, as effectively as possible. When it comes to designing advertisements for betting companies, it is important to follow one simple rule – make it as undemanding, superficial and facile as possible. Indeed an easy one to keep track of, right? As for the visuals, casino adverts often feature dark-themed halls, classy clothing choices of alluring dresses and clean-cut suits, expensive cars, subtle music and generally not a lot of fuss. After all, the message has to be straightforward and clearly formulated. There is no such thing as the need for depth or a substance.

Having touched upon the basics of casino advertisements, it is important to consider the female appeal in the gambling industry. Indeed, the fact that numerous companies hire good-looking promo girls and advertisers cannot be denied and female celebrities also seem to be involved in this effectively operating business. However, the question is whether women participating in such adverts need to be held to a certain degree of classiness or do they simply ‘’wing it’’ as Paris Hilton did in her absolute BGO fiasco?

Infamous Chronicle

Before we draw some general conclusions with regards to the designing and fashion-driven aspects of casino advertising, let us look back in time and spill a word or two with regards to the infamous BGO advert which was considered by many, and done so rightfully, as the lowest of all previous lows in betting industry.

For those whose eyesight has not experienced the wonders of the said advert, here is a brief description of what goes down. In Paul Ross’s fever dream, upon returning from a holiday he finds out that Paris Hilton has turned the entire casino pink. Eventually, as if it could not get any cheesier, it turns out that Ross is simply interviewing Paris for the position of assistant boss. The advert ends with him declining to employ her.

Besides the fact that a woman turning everything pink is a pretty unoriginal exhibition of sexism, the advert is overall quite obnoxious and out-dated. The visuals come off as cheap and lacking in effort. It would be interesting to hear from the advertisers of BGO who, in their right mind, thought this move would serve them any good at all. Moreover, if we look at the feedback, they all claim the same thing – if you are going to hire someone to drum up your purchases and promotions, not only do they have to be fairly presentable, they should also display professionalism and classy behavior. Even the online game presenters at companies such as Evolution Gaming ask their employees to get rolled in evening make-up courses, wear the uniform of moderate black dress and behave as professionally as possible.

The pink nightmare that we all witnessed in a BGO commercial is as far from reality as it could get and it had been evaluated likewise too. However, we are not blaming BGO for hiring Paris Hilton. The long history of gambling and celebrity endorsements does not leave anyone shocked anymore. It is pretty obvious that a two-way street of this kind works just right for both sides. Surveys found that teenagers found celebrity involvement in gambling adverts fun and engaging, and the question is why would they not? In times when people would readily purchase rotten peaches if, say, Rihanna or Kim Kardashian endorsed deals with Rotten Peach Corporation, teenagers getting giddy over gambling ads featuring their favorite sportsmen or a rapper should not be surprising in the slightest.

Innovative Directives

On a more serious note, it seems that the style of gambling ads involving female promoters is changing quite a bit. As Samantha Thomas, an associate professor at Deakin University claims, the gambling industry is mostly famous for designing advertisements where women have nothing more than a decorative role. All they have to do is be there and look good. However, newer tendencies suggest that the secondary characters in men’s betting experience will no longer be the reason why we encounter females in casino adverts. Rather, they will be featured more as leading actors and protagonists.

As a matter of fact, the number of females taking part in gambling has increased substantially as well. It may very well be due to the type of advertisements described above. Seeing a fellow woman as a protagonist in a gambling ad can possibly prompt someone to do the same just for fun. Speaking of which, many women reported gambling to be a part of their usual night out with friends.

Gambling markets are being promoted by female celebrities through tagging bookmakers in their Instagram posts where the latter will have an opportunity to offer services on events that are popular among young people. Examples include ‘’The Bachelor’’ and ‘’The Bachelorette’’.

Going back to our main points, whether or not there is a female celebrity, simply a promo girl, male celebrity or generally any human being for that matter, involved in a casino advert, the rule of the above-mentioned simplicity should not be mistaken with the lack of appropriate delivery. While many think that casinos are not the most classy markets to advertise, it would still be desirable to wrap them in a way that is intriguing, fun and engaging all at once.