Search Engine Optimization News Blog

The US Search Giant Google made a stand on online gambling in 2004, banning advertising that would point to or promote online gambling sites. Google’s AdWords content policy on the matter classifies online gambling as including but not limited to the following:

• sports books and sports betting
• lotteries
• bingo
• poker
• sites that provide tips, odds, and handicapping
• software facilitating online casinos and gambling
• gambling tutoring online
• gambling-related eBooks
• ’play for fun’ gambling or casino games of skill including sites where the primary purpose is ’play for fun’ gambling
• affiliate sites with the primary purpose of driving traffic to online gambling sites

The policy, which previously banned all gambling advertising, now merely cautions not to promote online gambling or related sites when targeting ads outside Great Britain. Ads for online gambling will not be displayed in other countries.

All of this will still apply in the States, but UK ads may now be targeted to show gambling ads due to new relaxed rules in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales, excluding Northern Ireland). Betting ads will now be permitted to run on TV around sports events and after the 9 pm watershed, and this opens the door for online ads as well. They don’t meet the criteria for family friendly, however, so Google’s Safe Search mode will filter them out.

Google AdWords advertisers will have to be registered with the Gambling Commission and provides a valid operating license number to be allowed to place gambling related ads, and must be licensed to advertise online gambling in their respective country.

This opens up a venue for online gambling that seems disturbing – one wonders how long it will last before our neighbors across the water have a serious problem on their hands. Identity theft is often used to enable gambling, running up enormous debt which can wreck credit and cause financial distress. Great Britain historically has less of this crime – will the promotion of gambling change that?