Star Wars Scratch Lottery Tickets

[ShrinkyLink]

Just when I start to warm to Lucasfilm again, I see this.

Thoughts?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Its old news...and what's so bad about this? Its just marketing, and Star Wars has marketing power. Why NOT do it?

 

[Aeson]

I think the burger king comercials are worse than that. Everytime I see them especially with the Jedi helping the kid with his ketchup I hid my face in my hands and regret being a Star Wars fan.

 

[ShrinkyLink]

Its old news...and what's so bad about this? Its just marketing, and Star Wars has marketing power. Why NOT do it?

I just saw my first commercial for it last night, so I apologize for posting old news.

As for not doing it, well, I had assumed Lucas would not condone gambling. I suppose Wookiee Absolut Vodka will be next? I just find it funny how a company that proclaims Star Wars is for kids is now telling them it's okay to blow two bucks on a potentially dangerous addictive pastime.

 

[wingsandsword]

I just find it funny how a company that proclaims Star Wars is for kids is now telling them it's okay to blow two bucks on a potentially dangerous addictive pastime.

"Hey, wanna buy a lottery ticket?"

*waves hand* "You don't want to sell me a lottery ticket."

"I don't want to sell you a lottery ticket"

*waves hand* "You want to go back and rethink this promotion."

"I want to go back and rethink this promotion."

Now, about potentially dangerous pastimes in Star Wars. Han Solo is a drug runner, plain and simple: Glitterstim spice is a hallucenogenic drug and Han made his fame smuggling it from Kessel past Imperial blockades. Not to mention all the talk in the EU of him and Lando being gamblers, that's how the Falcon changed hands. (Han was a pretty dangerous character, after all, he shot first at Greedo ). The Arconan race is succeptible to addiction to plain old table salt, and of course there were "Death Stick" dealers all over Coruscant. Drugs, gambling and other bad things are a part of the Star Wars universe.

Now, do I think they should use them to sell lottery tickets, probably not, and while Lucasfilm is a lot more mindful of spin-offs and licensing now than they were in the late 70's (Splinter of the Minds Eye and the Holiday Special?), any operation the size of Lucas Licensing could make a mistake once in a while.

 

[mojo1701]

Now, about potentially dangerous pastimes in Star Wars. Han Solo is a drug runner, plain and simple: Glitterstim spice is a hallucenogenic drug and Han made his fame smuggling it from Kessel past Imperial blockades. Not to mention all the talk in the EU of him and Lando being gamblers, that's how the Falcon changed hands. (Han was a pretty dangerous character, after all, he shot first at Greedo ). The Arconan race is succeptible to addiction to plain old table salt, and of course there were "Death Stick" dealers all over Coruscant. Drugs, gambling and other bad things are a part of the Star Wars universe.

Now, do I think they should use them to sell lottery tickets, probably not, and while Lucasfilm is a lot more mindful of spin-offs and licensing now than they were in the late 70's (Splinter of the Minds Eye and the Holiday Special?), any operation the size of Lucas Licensing could make a mistake once in a while.

Yeah, but they never called it drugs. And even if they did, most kids know about drugs, and what they are (if not the specific drugs). Besides, the characters never USE drugs.

 

[DonTadow]

Yeah, but they never called it drugs. And even if they did, most kids know about drugs, and what they are (if not the specific drugs). Besides, the characters never USE drugs.

So sell drugs ok? use drugs bad? Where are we America???

This is just another lottery scratching money making thing. MOnopoly does it why not star was. I wish we could go back 20 years and see all the exploits that happened back then. Heck Big tabacco probably had darth vadar cigerettes.

I actually like this game. Theres a chance of losing with this one unlike the others. At first I thought oh i bet both of them are the same but i was wrong. In any case let's just hope that this company doesnt do what the company that used to run the monopoly game did..

they had the game rigged so that their relatives would win.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

In any case let's just hope that this company doesnt do what the company that used to run the monopoly game did..

they had the game rigged so that their relatives would win.

Well is was actually a small group of individuals within said company that 'rigged' the game. And they were nailed in a fake monopoly game that McDs ran just to get them.

For those who feel Star Wars is over merchandised or (and I love this term) 'sold it's soul' I invite you back to Christmas 1978 at the Warrior family home. Nearly $500 (1978) bucks blown on every manner of Star Wars toy you could shake a Jawa at. There were Star Wars sheets, glasses, figures, playsets (Death Star playset was my favourite), pencils, writing paper, shirts etc etc etc etc etc. Merchadising, thy name is Star Wars.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I wouldn't buying a ticket, just to add it to my collection of Star Wars merchandise that I have. I imagine it might be a valuable collectible in the future.

 

[ShrinkyLink]

We can discuss for days whether Lucas over-merchandised the Star Wars franchise, both pro-and con. But at least with the pencils, bedsheets, or the Alan Dean Foster novel, you at least got something for your money. Gambling rarely gives anything back. And yes, I'm aware that buying a scratch lottery ticket on a lark won't turn you into a destitute gambler--but I'm just uncomfortable with the idea of children seeing lottery tickets with Chewbacca on them, and then associating something they might cherish with a game of chance rigged to take their money.

I suppose I just see this differently than most. I've seen firsthand how insidious gambling can be, and I've seen lives destroyed by it. So that's where I'm coming from.

And I had the bedsheets, by the way. I adored them.