Look at this unintentionally creepy magazine ad for a casino

Freedom is the name of the planet. It’s barely developed, therefore all of the open space and natural greenery in the poster. Earth, naturally, is an over-developed, toxic hell-hole. Everyone wants off.

It’s possible to win a free ticket (which includes citizenship) to Freedom, by playing casino games. It’s the ultimate prize.

You don’t want to win, though. Freedom is its own hell hole, politically and socially, that makes you long for the acid rains, choking clouds, and ruined cities of Earth.

Tom Cruise plays the governor of Freedom, though, so there’s that.

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It’s to be expected from an advertisement, I suspect, but (if their stated policy is to be believed) the maskless slot machine picture is being a trifle economical with the truth.

“Face coverings are required. Removal of face covering is only permitted when seated where a physical barrier is present.”

and

“Slot Machines - Slot machines will be configured to allow for physical separation. Managers and Supervisors will remind guests not to gather around slots.”

I’m certainly much happier that they are running dubiously representative ads, rather than running a full service covidplex to spite the containment efforts around them; but not overly surprised that they didn’t manage to work the plexiglass plague walls and reminders that losing money is to be a solitary experience into the advertisement.

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Ask any casino employee if policies are real or not. Mask policies are PR. If the bars are open, mask policies are just wink wink. This ad is calling out to the anti-maskers.

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That would not surprise me. Makes me curious to know what the legal and/or PR implications would be if the state or surrounding counties decided to try quarantining the place; since they have very limited jurisdiction over its internal operations but a great deal more over its surroundings.

There have definitely been a variety of interstate travel related orders made; and while people widely doubt their enforceability I’ve seen no major comment to the effect that they are without legal support. I imagine that “California declares Chumash Casino a Quarantine Zone; travel in forbidden without proof of self-quarantine protocols in place upon exit” would not play well; but emergency medical powers can often be fairly expansive; and there are probably a number of people none to happy to see that their own efforts at spread mitigation are being regulatory-arbitraged away next door.

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Freedom is the new code word for self destructive.

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someone somewhere thought that while sitting at the device you feel calm relaxed almost like you had a breath of fresh air… quick now make an image that represents that!

meanwhile most people consider gambling to be an energetic experience so the picture should have a roller coaster or some such bullshit.

speaking of which, locally the province of Ontario has been running adverts pointing out that gambling is like a drug infusion - and these are PROMOTING the casinos and lotto tickets in the province. I find that horrible and flies in the face of the mandate that forces them to write “play responsibly” on their ads normally.

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Make it look like a Thomas Kinkade painting, they said…

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The laws about slot machines recently changed in my state a few years ago. Local businesses have been tinkering with putting them in, and it got a little nuts for a while.

Gas stations with video slots.
Convenience stores with video slots.
Book stores with video slots
Thai restaurants with video slots

About 5 years into this trend, they are starting to disappear from all of these awkward places to put video slots. It’s not like I live in Nevada or a bordering state or anything, it’s the goddamned midwest!

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Not trying to track you down, but sounds like Illinois. I know when my partner’s parents lived around Elgin, IL, we’d occasionally go to dinner with them at a rather nice restaurant. One day when stopped in to find they’d recently installed video slots. That was the last time we visited that restaurant, which was disappointing as they had really good food, but that was way too much of an intrusion. (A separate gaming lounge wouldn’t have pushed us out, but this was on the main floor of the dining area.)

I was actually working in Rosemont, IL when gambling became legal there, so before the huge casino was built. Glad the project I was on finished up before that really got going.

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Well, I have to fess up because it’s too random not to acknowledge.

we are talking about the same restaurant

There is a 0% chance we are talking about a different one.

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Well I laughed hard enough to wake up the cat! If I could remember the name of it, I’d absolutely name it, but it’s been quite a few years.

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Toom Toom!

Toom is a wonderful lady.

The food continues to be great, definitely go there if you roll through town, slots or not.

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“The outdoors holds nothing for me. Only the beautiful jangle of this wonderful gambling machine satisfies me inside.”

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I’d play that machine.

In her defense, she’s probably had it up to here with the ol, “I hear we can find Orion’s belt up on that hill over yonder,” line.

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I kept looking for the Scarfolk Council logo on that image.

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Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose—or is that, running on empty…

Let’s face it, aren’t ALL gambling ads creepy?

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Happiness in slavery!

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