This week, Google announced its refusal to host any gambling related ads in the UK.
Due to lengthy controversy surrounding the “recreational activity,” Google had often been hesitant to provide AdWords services for gambling related sites. While the previous Google AdWords policy allowed certain free gambling related sites to create advertisements, this new policy will not condone them.
An e-mail sent on June 6th from Google to UK AdWords advertisers stated that “[Google] 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.”
Despite the strict decision, a Google spokesperson affirmed, “we respect people's differing views on gambling - and support freedom of expression…”
So far, this prohibition seems contained in the UK, but for how long? Google and its inclusive applications—specifically AdWords— bear a strong presence in the online community. Could Google’s choice to prohibit gambling related ads go global, or influence other search engines to censor risky industries? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But for the advertisers of those “risky industries,” one thing is sure: e-Marketing just got a lot harder.
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