Google Allows Poker Ads

October 29, 2008

Google has obviously had a change of heart – and assuredly pocketbook – in that they are now allowing poker and online gambling companies to market on their search engine. The company had banned all poker and online gambling advertising back in 2004 – but will now be allowing it.

The company will now allow poker and online gambling sites to target their web users in England, Scotland, and Wales – but not Northern Ireland. The only caveat is that they have to hold a license in the country they are marketing to.

Those countries that are registered with the Gambling Commission in any of the 30 countries that make up the European Economic Area – or EEA – can now participate in the poker and online gambling marketing. This means that a large number of those poker and online gambling companies that are based in Gibraltar are now going to be eligible to advertise.

Google says that they have been reviewing their advertising policy as it pertains to poker and online gambling, and they wanted to be “as consistent as possible with local business practices.” They say that they felt it was time that they allow these “text ads to appear against search queries” that have some reference to poker and online gambling in Great Britain.

In an attempt to hold off any sort of problem with the poker and online gambling industry they had decided to block the ads, but have since decided it was unnecessary. You can only assume that they realized how much money they were losing out on as well, and decided to change their tune.