{"id":123652,"date":"2020-01-06T11:08:54","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T19:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=123652"},"modified":"2020-01-06T11:48:05","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T19:48:05","slug":"google-under-fire-after-online-casino-ads-in-gamstop-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/google-under-fire-after-online-casino-ads-in-gamstop-search\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Under Fire After Search for Gambling Addiction Help Yields Online Casino Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google has been forced to tweak its gambling advertising because of reports that addicts looking for advice on how to quit were being served up ads for online casinos in search results.<\/p>\n

\"Google
Google breached its own policies by allowing ads for rogue online casinos in UK searches, although it now appears to have rectified the problem. (Image: MakeUseOf)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As first reported Friday by The Telegraph<\/em> newspaper, searches for \u201cGamstop\u201d — the UK\u2019s industrywide self-exclusion program for problem gamblers — were littered with ads for casinos offering sign-up bonuses.<\/p>\n

The sites were licensed and regulated in jurisdictions like Curacao and Cyprus, and therefore not bound to the Gamstop service like casinos licensed in the UK.<\/p>\n

The Telegraph<\/em> reports that the top-four links provided advice for self-banned UK players on how to circumvent exclusion programs, some even providing lists of unregulated sites that would accept bets.<\/p>\n

The actual Gamstop site was relegated to fifth position in Google\u2019s search results, although it was first for organic search.<\/p>\n

Accounts Suspended<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A Google spokesperson told The Telegraph<\/em> Friday that the offending Google Adwords accounts had been suspended.<\/p>\n

When Casino.org<\/em> checked on Monday, there was no casino-related advertising, and Gamstop was the second search result, after a paid ad for a search engine that appears to be affiliated with Google.<\/p>\n

We support responsible gambling advertising and it\u2019s important to us that people see useful and relevant ads in this area,\u201d the spokesperson added. \u201cAs such, we have strict policies around gambling ads, which we enforce rigorously.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In order to place paid ads in Google\u2019s search results via Adwords, operators must first apply for accreditation from the search giant, which should establish that their product\u00a0\u201cabide[s] by local gambling laws and industry standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s spokesperson did not provide details on how the system had failed in this instance, other than to say it uses \u201ca combination of humans and algorithms to vet advertisers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gamstop chief executive Fiona Palmer told The Telegraph<\/em> she was \u201cvery concerned\u201d about any damage that might have been done.<\/p>\n

When people search for information about self-excluding from online gambling, they should only see results relating to Gamstop and organizations providing support for problem gambling,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cConsequently, we are working with Google and other search engines to ensure that when people search for information about self-excluding from online gambling, our website is prominently displayed and these websites are not included within the search results.\u201d<\/p>\n

US Rollout<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Google has recently relaxed its advertising policy in the US<\/a> to reflect the gradual, state-by-state legalization of online sports betting and casino gaming.<\/p>\n

In December, it allowed online casino ads to run in the four states that have regulated markets \u2013 New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

After beta-testing sports betting<\/a> ads in New Jersey in June, it expanded the option in October to all states where the practice is legal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Google has been forced to tweak its gambling advertising because of reports that addicts looking for advice on how to quit were being served up ads for online casinos in search results. As first reported Friday by The Telegraph newspaper, searches for \u201cGamstop\u201d — the UK\u2019s industrywide self-exclusion program for problem gamblers — were littered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":123657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,19],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGoogle Under Fire After Online Casino Ads in Gamstop Search<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Google gambling searches for UK self-exclusion service \u2018Gamstop\u2019 were yielding ads for unlicensed online casinos. 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Google suspends offending accounts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/google-under-fire-after-online-casino-ads-in-gamstop-search\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-06T19:08:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-06T19:48:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Googler.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/google-under-fire-after-online-casino-ads-in-gamstop-search\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/google-under-fire-after-online-casino-ads-in-gamstop-search\/\",\"name\":\"Google Under Fire After Online Casino Ads in Gamstop Search\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/google-under-fire-after-online-casino-ads-in-gamstop-search\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/google-under-fire-after-online-casino-ads-in-gamstop-search\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Googler.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-06T19:08:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-06T19:48:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"Google gambling searches for UK self-exclusion service \u2018Gamstop\u2019 were yielding ads for unlicensed online casinos. 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