(Photo: Reuters)
An anti-gambling ad commissioned by the government of Singapore looks counter-productive, now that Germany has won the World Cup. The government created these public service announcements, which took the form of posters and television commercials, with the expectation that Germany would do poorly. So betting one's life savings on a German victory would be foolish. Now Andy, the name of the sad boy in the picture, has reason to be happy:
Even Singapore’s usually stoic politicians could not resist taking a few pot shots. Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin wrote on Facebook: ‘‘Looks like the boy’s father who bet all his savings on Germany will be laughing all the way to the bank!’’
But Singapore’s National Council for Problem Gambling refused to back down and withdraw the campaign, which also included radio spots, posters around the country and banners on the council’s website. In a statement, it said selecting Germany ‘‘injected a sense of realism in our messaging, since no one will bet on a potentially losing team.’’
On Monday, following Germany’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the final, Facebook pages were full of congratulatory messages for Andy and his dad. A few suggested the two were off to Germany for a holiday, while another showed Andy wearing a suit, accompanied by the caption, ‘‘Who’s your daddy?’’
If that were at all true, the gambling industry would collapse.