WebProNews

As Google UK moves to extend a preexisting ban, it would seem that the company’s not much for middle ground these days.  The ban will now involve advertising for all gambling-related sites, including those that don’t involve any real money.

“Google and Yahoo have both recently banned advertisements on pay-to-play online gambling websites in the UK,” reports bigmouthmedia, “but Google are the first major engine to ban all forms of online gambling advertising from their service.”  Part of me feels inclined to mutter something about spoilsports.

Yet Google doesn’t want anyone to think it’s getting high and mighty.  In a statement, the company said, “While we respect people’s differing views on gambling - and support freedom of expression - we believe that this new policy is simpler for everyone to understand and more in tune with users’ wishes.”

Nonetheless, the bigmouthmedia article is showing up in a lot of places (PokerNews.com, Online-Casinos.com, Sportsbook.com, and Eye On Gambling), and I don’t know that every reader is celebrating its arrival.

Google’s decision does, at least, make one company look good to would-be advertisers: Microsoft.  As reported by bigmouthmedia, “This leaves MSN as the only one of the three major search engines still allowing advertising for pay-to-play gambling websites in the UK.”