American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf was a supporter of the Department of Justice and FBI when they shut down poker sites on Black Friday last April, but the tides have changed. Fahrenkopf, widely regarded as the authority of the American casino industry, and the AGA are now in staunch support of regulating and licensing online poker, which is made evident in the organization’s recently-released Wild West-themed video.
While the AGA has traditionally taken a fairly conservative stance on its issues, the group is now taking a more aggressive approach to get its message across. The Wild West video is just one part of AGA’s online video marketing strategy to take its campaign for safe online poker playing viral.
The Underlying Message of the AGA’s Video
“Online Poker: The Wild West” compares the online poker industry with the dangerous, unregulated days of the Old West, when playing poker was a dangerous and sometimes deadly activity. AGA’s two and a half minute video discusses the drawbacks of making online poker illegal in this day and age, which include:
- No safeguards. Against the wishes of the U.S. government, many people continue to play online poker. The AGA says that like the Wild West, players have no safeguards to protect them from swindlers.
- Enforcement sucks. The DOJ has been busting its ass to shut down every illegal poker site it can find. Unfortunately, scams abound as DOJ’s imperialistic campaign to shut down overseas poker sites has failed to yield results. The video discusses how new poker sites keep popping up every time a new one gets shut down.
- Other countries enjoy the spoils. The revenues and new jobs go to the countries casinos are located in. The United States doesn’t get any of the revenues or jobs associated with online poker, which really bites considering how millions of Americans are spending their money there.
Check out the video above for yourself. The Wild West argument may strike a lot of people and help the DOJ realize that’s exactly what they created, anda viral video marketing campaign may be exactly what the industry needs, and this video could reach a lot more people and help them understand the importance of regulating online poker.
Do you think this video will help create greater awareness to help legalize online poker? Share your thoughts in the forums.