Gambling is big business, and in the so-called “lawless land” of the Internet, it’s on the rise. Online gambling generated around $12 billion last year, spread out over roughly 2,300 gaming sites. Some studies indicate that the rise in gambling is being accompanied by an increase in gambling addiction.
Why is on-line Gambling Illegal?
I was reading an article called Catch Me If You Can in which Forbes discusses the success of Calvin Ayre and his Costa Rica based Internet gambling business:
Google Under Fire For Oz Gambling Ads
In Australia, it’s illegal to display gambling advertisements on Australian web sites, and Google Australia may be in violation.
Lawsuit Over Search Engine Gambling Ads Given Go Ahead
A lawsuit filed last year against a number of search engines concerning their displaying of gambling related ads has been given the go ahead by a San Francisco court.
Search Engines Hit With Lawsuit Over Gambling Ads
A recent lawsuit that was filed on behalf of Mario Cisneros, Michael Voight, and the general public called out a number of search engines for displaying ads for online gambling establishments. The suit claimed the defendants displayed these ads for within the state of California, where Internet gambling is illegal.
Gambling Ads Sidestep Google Filters
As reported in Murdok earlier, search engines Google and Yahoo have decided to ban online casino ads from appearing on SERPs. The ban was to go into effect at the end of April. However, it appears that some of the casinos have found a way to “cheat” the filters Google has put in place.
Online Gambling Sites Respond To Ad Ban
A decision by Yahoo and Google to ban online gambling ads has created expected repercussions from some of the casino site owners. Understandably, the owners who commented are not pleased with the gambling ad ban by the two search engine giants.