Reader Matt Dekker points out that the Washington’s Lottery uses Pac Man and other cartoon characters to market its scratch games. The games are available in vending machines at grocery stores, where they can easily be accessed by kids.

According to a Lottery-funded study cited by the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling, thousands of Washington adolescents are “problem gamblers” and tens of thousands are at risk of becoming problem gamblers. Does anyone believe these kids are helped by the presence of vending machines containing Pac Man scratch cards?

Dekker’s e-mail reminded me of Joe Camel. Remember when government regulators and anti-tobacco activists said that Joe Camel ads were used to attract young smokers? R.J. Reynolds agreed to drop the ads back in the 1990s as part of the huge settlement reached between the tobacco industry and legal opponents who had sued to recover the so-called costs of smoking-related illnesses. The settlement was negotiated in large part by Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, who at the time was Washington’s Attorney General.

A related complaint was kids’ easy access to cigarettes via vending machines. A Food and Drug Administration rule approved by the Clinton Administration in August 1996 banned cigarette vending machines almost everywhere.

The message is clear: marketing an addictive product to kids is bad when tobacco companies do it, but it’s OK when the government does it.

Related commentary (username: wobbler; password: wobbly):
- The Bizarre Tobacco Deal Is A Threat To Our Liberty
- Gregoire: The Tiger Lady, Or Expensive Paper Tiger?
- Will Someone Please Stand Up And Sue Jack Lalanne?