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Online Gambling Ads Evade Google Censors

UNITED STATES – As reported by the Media Daily News: "Despite Google's ban on accepting online gambling ads, Web wagering outfits are evading the search king's sentries. In recent days, searches on Google for terms including 'online gambling'--and, just in time for last weekend's Kentucky Derby, 'horse racing'--resulted in Google AdWords ads for online gambling sites. Google last month said it would ban online gambling ads. Unauthorized sponsored links to gambling sites are also showing up on About.com through its partnership with Google.

"Google and Yahoo! on April 2 announced decisions to eliminate online gambling ads. Industry insiders point to legal threats from the U.S. Department of Justice to other media companies as the impetus for the search firms' new restrictions.

"…A Google search on May 2 for keyword terms 'sports betting, 'sportsbook,' 'Kentucky Derby bet,' and 'horse racing' yielded AdWords text ads for Internet betting sites such as KingPin Sportsbook, BetUS.com, SportsBetting.com, TVGNetwork.com, and RaceBook.com.

"…Google automatically posts ads that pass its automated filters, and eventually subjects those ads to human inspection. Changes to the search firm's system affect result listings on its site, as well as links and ads it serves to partner sites.

"…'It appears that Google doesn't like to do anything manually; they want to have it be automated,' suggests Brad Fallon, CEO of interactive marketing consultancy Smart Marketing Inc.

"…'Google does their best to implement the [Internet gambling] policy, but people have become clever at beating the filters,' explains Peter Horan, CEO of About.com…"

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