The Biggest Casino Marketing Stunts of All
Time
There have been some tremendous casino
marketing stunts, and here we take a look at a few of the biggest to ever run.
The art and science of Advertising and Public Relations mean the difference between a strong company and a total flop.
Gambling companies, and casinos in particular, have made some pretty huge
marketing stunts of their own since they are often restricted in what they can
do in traditional media. In what follows, we're going to look at a few of the
biggest names in the industry and the types of things they have done to get
attention.
The Golden Palace Grilled Cheese Debacle
Back around 2004, Golden Palace decided it
would be a good idea to pay $28,000 for half of a grilled cheese sandwich. The
[half-eaten] sandwich had become famous for allegedly having a picture of the
Virgin Mary on the side of it, and they got a ton of publicity for making the
purchase. They took the grilled cheese on what has got to be the biggest tour a
grilled cheese has ever been on, and they eventually ended with a grilled
cheese eating contest that they held in Venice Beach, California. This was
definitely an atypical marketing stunt, but since they're an online casino in
the United States, they aren't able to advertise in traditional forms of media.
Record-Setting Advertisements
A decade later in 2014, Paddy Power set a
record with one of their advertisements. Unfortunately for them, it was the
record for the highest number of official complaints about an ad in the history
of the United Kingdom with an official total of 5,525 registered complaints.
The ad itself centered around wordplay on the Oscars awards ceremony and the
murder trial of South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius (who has no
legs)
Even though they also have the most popular online casino and online poker room in Ireland, the company has a sportsbook where they allow players to bet on a wide range of outcomes. In this case, they could bet on the outcome of Pistorius' trial, and as the ad stated, "Money back if he walks." The ad caught flack for making fun of his legs being amputated below the knee and for allegedly making light of domestic violence towards women.
Double or Nothing
Jumping back to 2014, the Plaza Hotel and
Casino took a very interesting bet. A man decided to bet his entire life
savings on red at a roulette table. This wager was worth $135,300 for the man,
Ashley Revill, who was 32 years old at the time. He made a big affair of the
whole deal, wearing a tuxedo to the casino.
From there, he made his way to the roulette table and made his wager, winning on a red seven. It was a widely publicized event that got a ton of attention for the casino and for the man who made the bet. The felt used on the roulette table was actually removed and signed by Revill, and now it hangs in the hotel to commemorate the event.
