Google ban extended

**jetset** · 6th June 2007, 04:21 PM

GOOGLE EXTENDS ONLINE GAMBLING AD BAN TO FREE PLAY SITES

Total ban on UK online gambling ads now in force at Yahoo! and Google

The giant search engine and information site Google in the UK has extended its ban on Internet gambling adverts to embrace play-for-free sites with immediate effect.

Hitherto, advertisers were able to run ads on the search engine promoting free-to-play gambling websites. Now, that policy extends to cover all online gambling sites, including those where no money changes hands.

Google and Yahoo! have both recently banned advertisements on pay-to-play online gambling websites in the UK, but Google are the first major engine to ban all forms of online gambling advertising from their service.

In the past, gambling websites have tried to work around this legislation by advertising free sections of their sites, or separating domains devoted to free gambling on search terms like "online gambling" in order to generate traffic. Now, these sites will no longer be visible.

Gambling websites have previously used this method to gain details from a user and manipulate this information to launch highly targeted email marketing campaigns directly to the customer, in order to entice them to sign up for pay-to play games.

A Google spokesperson detailed the changes in a statement released today:

"Google has always prohibited the advertising of things like bingo, poker and online casinos. However having looked at this issue very carefully and considered the views of our users, we have decided to extend our policy. We will no longer take ads for sites that promote gambling related content or gambling tutorials or whose primary purpose is `playing for fun', gambling or casino games of skill.

"While we respect people's differing views on gambling - and support freedom of expression - we believe that this new policy is simpler for everyone to understand and more in tune with users' wishes."

This leaves MSN as the only one of the three major search engines still allowing advertising for pay-to-play gambling websites in the UK.

**lots0** · 6th June 2007, 07:07 PM

Funny about Yahoo....

All Yahoo is doing is blocking competitors ads.
uk.games.yahoo.com/online-games/card/games_poker.html

There are 1895 people playing Poker online now, click the link below to join them. Play Poker Online Now!

Source: Yahoo Poker

**Chatmaster** · 7th June 2007, 08:05 AM

A weird decision imo. I was under the impression that online gambling was regulated in the UK.

**K777** · 8th June 2007, 06:02 PM

Another attempt of Google and Yahoo in hope of saving online gamblers' money because of the moral concerns.
Nevertheless, they welcome cheaters and spammers who promote "winning systems" and overload your mailboxes with spam emails every week or day...
But that's another side of morality.

**rob3786** · 8th June 2007, 06:29 PM

I didnt realise this a month or two ago spent ages setting up pay per click with all the right keywords to find a weeklater it had been taken off for this very reason. Why if online gambling is legal in the uk are the search engines not trying to get involved with ppc.

**Simmo!** · 12th June 2007, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by jetset

"...we believe that this new policy is simpler for everyone to understand and more in tune with users' wishes."

Oh yes and everyone is stupid so we all believe that! But...I can see that Google & Yahoo have no lower age-limit, so there is some sense in the ban to be honest, so why don't they just say that? It's one thing to allow SERPS to contain online gambling sites but accepting paid ads that will sit in front of an underage audience is another thing altogether IMO.

Originally Posted by lots0

Funny about Yahoo....

All Yahoo is doing is blocking competitors ads.
uk.games.yahoo.com/online-games/card/games_poker.html

Source: Yahoo Poker

Yes that does somewhat sound hypocritical, one might argue counter-competitive too. One would have thought that someone will challenge that at some stage.

**Webzcas** · 15th June 2007, 04:42 PM

This is great news IMO. It therefore should cut off the loophole that some webmasters and casinos use to get their casino portals and casinos listed in adwords to circumvent the no gambling ads ban on Adsense.

**Chatmaster** · 16th June 2007, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by Webzcas

This is great news IMO. It therefore should cut off the loophole that some webmasters and casinos use to get their casino portals and casinos listed in adwords to circumvent the no gambling ads ban on Adsense.

A very valid point and these advertisers certainly were abusing the loophole.

However, it is a serious disaproval of our industry if two of the top 5 websites in the world say they do not want to make money of our industry. What is the impression the rest of the world is under when viewing there disapproval of our industry, that is what wories me though.