Online Casino Holds $30 Mil. Review

NEW YORK Online gambling venture 888.com said it has launched a review for creative chores on its $30 million offline ad account.

Jason Gasaway, U.S. marketing manager for London-based 888.com, said he is seeking a small, creatively-driven agency to craft "brand response ads." The work would offer a brand message and drive measurable customer response.


Gasaway said the site had been in talks with two shops, which he declined to identify, but is now opening the field to new contenders. The company is not working with a consultant and would like to have a shop in place by August, he said.

He also conceded that more than a few shops had declined his invitation, "because they won't work with our category."

Havas' Media Planning Group and independent Ice Advertising handle media chores, which are not in play. MPG Direct has crafted some direct response ads for the client and will continue handle media on that portion of the business.

Both MDC Partners and Omnicom Group have forbidden their agencies from pursing online gambling business. The U.S. Department of Justice as said that gambling online, as well as accepting advertising for such sites, is illegal under the 1961 Wire Act, which prohibits the taking and placing of bets across phone lines. Creating ads for gambling sites, which usually advertise the legal dot-net sisters to a company's wagering site, is a murkier issue.

Neither IPG nor WPP Group have issued dictates to their shops regarding online gambling, leaving those new business decisions up to individual shops, sources said.

Among the agencies currently pursuing online gambling client Belle Rock Gaming are IPG's Avrett Free Ginsberg and Havas' Euro RSCG in New York. Independent Eisner Communications in Baltimore won the review for Fortune Lounge Group's $20 million ad account in April.

http://www.adweek.com - 2005-06-07 07:13:15