Business Ethics

Business Ethics

The message in the advertisement has a discriminatory message aimed to the needy with the inference that it acts as a connection for the underprivileged into an affluent environment. This is an actual reflection of the unfair marketing strategies that are being used by lottery companies with most studied having noted that the bulk of the populace involved in gambling practices constitutes to the needy class. In Colorado, areas that have noted the highest participations in lottery activities have low earnings that are ranked less than the standard required state rate. Additionally, it was revealed that within the same state, a leading lottery company invested in a research facility that aimed at acquiring a deeper perception of the mind and how this could be used in enhancing gambling sales (Campbell, 2001). The New York state has also indicated that rich individuals spent eight times less funds in gambling as compared to the impoverished. In New Mexico, the worst hit areas in terms of income earnings record the highest spending rates with regard to lotteries.

A study conducted in the Duke University has linked gambling advertisements as being psychologically manipulative as at least seventy percent of individuals used in the promotional activities win. The fact that people do lose in gambling practices is never evidenced in a majority of the promotions. The few advertisements that contain a losing theme are cleverly disguised in a manner that equates losing to lack of participation in gambling activities (Hartman, & Joseph, 2010). Regret is amplified in such advertisements for the individuals who fail to acquire the jackpot due to their imprudent decisions. As the poor are bombarded with such deceptive information and psychological exploitation, they tend to indulge into gambling to their ruin. Therefore, Stanek’s argument is baseless and the billboard reflects a marketing stratagem that has been noted amongst lottery companies.

References

Campbell, B. N. (2001). National Gambling Impact Study Commission Final Report: Congressional Hearing. Collingdale, PA: DIANE Publishing.

Hartman, L., & Joseph, D. (2010). Business Ethics: Decision-Making for Personal Integrity & Social Responsibility. Monterey, CA: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.