Know Your Odd Lies

The Tasmanian Government funds and authorises a campaign, “Know Your Odds”, which claims to present the facts of gambling and the odds thereof.  An advertisement, which is regularly broadcast on commercial television, features a cove, who calls himself Jack, inviting people to ask questions at the Know Your Odds website.  According to the obligatory authorisation details at the end of the advertisement, however, the person identifying himself as “Jack” is actually called Chris, so I submitted a question to “Jack”, this morning:

“I’m Jack,” says the bloke apparently called Jack; however, in the authorisation details at the end of the advertisement broadcast on television (though not on the website), we can read “Spoken by Chris Bowen.”
So is “Jack” Jack or Chris?
Why lie?  If you lie when naming people, why should anyone believe anything else you say?

In a rare example of bureaucratic efficiency in Tasmania, my post—even before office hours begun—was deleted, unanswered [but see the update below].
The Government’s campaign:

provides important information to assist poker machine players and players of other games of chance with their gambling should they elect to gamble at all.  [Emphasis added.]

The ‘House Edge’ commercials are designed to inform the public of how commercial games of chance really work, drawing attention to the games’ in built House Edges.  Gambling providers are businesses and these games are designed to make their businesses profitable, ensuring commercial viability, payment of staff and other costs.  Some gamblers have false beliefs about their chances of winning, partly due to not understanding the House Edge, and the role of luck over the short and long term.  [sic!]

UPDATE:  I received an e-mail from Ben Ross, of the Gambling Support Program, Department of Health and Human Services:

thanks for your post on the blog.  Yes, there is an authorisation at the end of the ads giving Chris’s name.  Know Your Odds is an advertising campaign, funded by the State Government—the info about the campaign is on the blog.  Chris is an actor, and Jack is the campaign ‘character’ who delivers the information.  The information in the campaign is carefully researched and you don’t have to worry—it’s all correct.  The campaign aims to provide information that will assist people to make safe choices when they gamble on games of chance.  This can help people avoid gambling more than they can afford and therefore experiencing the subsequent problems that can arise.  Information about where to get help for gambling problems is also contained in the campaign.