Google Gambling Ban Out of Date Sky's Online Poker Ad Reveals

UK online poker and online gambling sites are caught in an ironic situation- they are being allowed to advertise on TV starting September when the Gambling Act 2005 takes effect, yet they cannot bid on paid-search ads on search engine giant Google.

"Search for 'hardcore porn' on Google and you're spoilt for choice in both the natural and paid results. Search for 'horserace bet' and life is suddenly more complex," reports New Media Age (NMA).

"Market leaders like Ladbrokes and William Hill are high in natural search but are found nowhere in the paid-search results. For such is the bizarre Google moral code."

"Gambling firms are barred from bidding on search terms," continues NMA, "whereas such illustrious brands as Max Hardcore are welcomed with open arms."

Mark Davies, MD of corporate affairs at Betfair, pointed out to NMA, "It's a curious place to draw the line if their reasoning is morality."

Ingenious online site SkyPoker recently came up with a legitimate work around- it launched a search campaign that directs users to a Sky Poker-branded page streaming footage from the Sky Poker TV channel. It shows real people gambling with real money.

Despite objections raised to the ad by the online industry and requests to update their gambling policy, Google has refused to review its ban on gambling paid-search ads.

For the GBP 42 billion-a-year gambling industry (USD 82.3 billion or EUR 61.6 billion), it cuts off one of the most effective online ad media.

Google does accept paid-search bidding from affiliates that direct consumers to gambling sites. And the policy does nothing to affect search optimization, reports NMA.

All it does is cut off a potentially enormous revenue stream for both search engine marketers (SEMs) and Google, and force reputable companies to look for loopholes in the system.

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