Indiana casino begins running TV ads

The 30-second commercials, which show patrons playing slots and table games, will air on the ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations in Chicago, as well as on some cable stations on the south Chicago suburbs, said Jeff Bauer, the senior director of marketing for the Majestic.

"In this market, we are the fifth-place boat when it comes to revenues," Bauer said Monday. "We do not have the name recognition that a Harrah's or even a Trump does in this market, and the purpose behind the TV slots is really to shout in the marketplace who we are and what we're all about, which is slots."

Federal communications law has long prohibited the casino industry from airing commercials that depict any form of gambling, including slot machines and playing cards, similar to the rules that once barred beer companies from showing beer consumption in commercials.

But the U.S. Supreme Court found the anti-betting rule unconstitutional last summer and ordered the Federal Communications Commission to draft new guidelines for the casino industry.

Majestic Star is the first casino in the Chicago area to capitalize on the loosened advertising rules and only the third casino in the nation to run such ads, according to industry observers.

The multimillion-dollar advertising campaign was created by the Chicago ad agency Ebel, Dunnell, Merrick.

The new television, billboard and radio ads' slogan is, "We've got your slots."

"We want to be known for slots," said Majestic Star general manager Michael Kelly said. "The FCC just changed the (advertising) rule. We're going to aggressively take advantage of it."

A casino in Las Vegas and one in Detroit also have aired commercials that show gamblers in action.

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