Continuous public exposure is the key to legitimizing and solidifying the image of the gambling business as a recreational industry. Even non-gamblers need to view the industry in a true light in order to dissolve the kind of negative stories found in newspapers, on television and even in the movies. Most news and script writers know little about the gambling industry their stories describe. Instead, they deal with the mythology of the past or the need to sensationalize their scripts. This is a constant image problem that can only be overcome through the industry placing more resources in advertising.
Advertising reaches potential new players.
Comps, the major form of casino promotion, do not reach new players. They have no outreach or educational value. This lesson has not been lost on the tennis, golf and skiing industries which are growing nicely. Approximately 25 years ago the gambling industry began its period of rapid and spectacular growth. The reason can be found in the game of blackjack, which was the principal component of that growth.