State lottery communication -Fun or Games? Blythe Smith 3 May
2012
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Fun?
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Play! Play online! Spin your way to points for free play!
Scratch and win! Feel the thrills!
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Espoolaisnainen sai yllttvn puhelun: Olet 200 000 euroa
rikkaampi!
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Dont play! Know your limit, play within it! Set a budget and
stick to it! Dont chase your losses! Play for fun, not to make
money!
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BEENDEN SIE DAS SPIEL, BEVOR DAS SPIEL SIE BEENDET.
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Conflict!
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State lottery monopolies & the exclusive right;
justifications?
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Public order?
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Public order? Yeah, well, maybe, but Martin Arendts 2011:
Recent case-law has shown that outlawing private operators will not
work in the longer run.
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The Public order? Well, maybe, but There is a simple truth
about betting and other forms of gaming:
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The...you can make it illegal, but you cannot make it
unpopular...
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Public order? Well, maybe, but The...Prohibiting private
operators also poses a quite practical problem:
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Public order? Well, maybe, but The...You can only regulate (and
effectively tax, which is sometimes even more popular for the
state) what is legal. Martin Arendts 2011: A view of European
gambling regulation
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Consumer protection?
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Consumer protection? (Reducing gambling)
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Financial reasons?
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Financial reasons (Funding good causes): yes, but Restrictions
on gambling services at national level are at times justified by
policy reasons such as the financing of benevolent or public
interest activities. GREEN PAPER On on-line gambling in the
Internal Market Section 2.3.3: Notwithstanding that the systems put
in place for this purpose should comply with applicable state aid
rules, it is noteworthy that according to the (EC) Court of
Justice, the funding of such social activities may not constitute
the substantive justification for the restrictive policy but only
an ancillary beneficial consequence.
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What puzzles me?
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What puzzles me How do state lotteries create and justify their
existence through discourse? DDiscourse in a broad sense, including
visual imagery. How do state lotteries manage the conflict?
BBetween successful product advertising and legislative and
regulatory pressure?
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Example 1 Step 1. The new Lotteries Act (& EU regulation)
prohibits the advertising of games classified as particularly
addiction-provoking.
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Step 2. Lets not call it advertising; lets call it product
information.
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Step 3. Veikkaus Annual report 2011: Marketing and advertising
expenses only increased by 13.3% Product information expenses
increased by 297.9%.
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Product information?
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Example 2 The greatest challenge with regard to the operative
functions is the growing number of customer transactions. In 2012
we expect the number of transactions processed in Veikkaus game
system to exceed the limit of half a million for the first time.
The system structure faces new demands as the customers increasing
needs are met with reforms and improvements. Veikkaus Annual report
2011
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The greatest challenge with regard to the operative functions
is the growing number of customer transactions. In 2012 we expect
the number of transactions processed in Veikkaus game system to
exceed the limit of half a million for the first time. The system
structure faces new demands as the customers increasing needs are
met with reforms and improvements. Veikkaus Annual report 2011 Wait
a minute whats really going on here? The customers needs have a
life of their own we are passively expecting and they are humbly
and passively met (by someone) Customer transactions are increasing
poor operative functions have a tough time dealing with them even
the system structure has a hard time coping
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Example 2 Hey guys, did you notice the nominalizations in that
passage? Yeah, gross Yeah, like the growing number of customer
transactions Oh yeah, and what about that agentless passive? Theres
definitely something cooking and I dont like it!
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LOL! The participant roles were weird Youre right! What kind of
actors are customer transactions and system structure?...not to say
anything of transitivity.... Oh, I give up.
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so whats new? Thats part of the discourse of financial
reporting and the thematic structure foregrounded the abstract,
impersonal actors Did you notice playing wasnt actually mentioned
at all? So what like challenge and system structure?
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The discourse of financial reporting? Oh I think it oozes
promotional, legitimating, and technical discourse, and is heavy
with ideology and other motives than pure financial reporting Well
yeah, thats the genre of annual reports for you all right Oh, will
you please cut it out! Cant we just agree its a hybrid like most
present- day genres?
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Let me just say one more thing
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...or two
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I think what the text is trying to say is: We work for the
common good, to reduce and channel peoples gaming. We do not play
an active role in the way in which our customers gaming desire
behaves.
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It needs, demands, and wants on its own. And the system handles
transactions (instead of games which the players spend their
household money on)
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We are simple bystanders marvelling at the wild desire and the
mechanically working system and trying to humbly serve our
customers.
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I think theres a flagrant conflict between what state lotteries
claim theyre doing and what theyre actually doing.
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Its amazing how much a little bit of critical discourse
analysis reveals, isnt it?