Google Serves Blackhat Casino Ads For Gamstop Search Results

The Independent, a UK news outlet, caused a furore online when they revealed that gamblers seeking help have become the target of a number of unscrupulous online casinos. Rather than Google doing the right thing and simply directing these vulnerable players to Gamstop, they allowed ads to be run on the organisation names leading to help-seekers being served casino ads.

 Do Better Google

While many are pointing to the casino providers as preying on the weak, and rightly so, it is important to take this issue back to its root – Googles greed. The online ad system for Google pay per click advertising (PPC) is fully capable of blocking advertisements from being served when they contain unacceptable keywords. As an example, for many years it was impossible to buy advertising that contained the word “casino” if the ad was US-facing.

Google tried to save face by stating:

“We support responsible gambling advertising and it’s important to us that people see useful and relevant ads in this area. As such, we have strict policies around gambling ads, which we enforce rigorously. We have suspended the accounts in question.”

In this instance, Google has chosen to allow the names of gambling help centres and resources to targeted via paid advertising. Organisations like Gamstop and Gambleaware already rank for their own names – there is no reason that they would need to be available as key terms that can be used in PPC advertising.

 The Case For Regulation

Beyond the need for Google to address its internal practices, one of the positive notes in this cacophony of evil intentions has been the fact that none of the offending casinos is licenced in a trusted jurisdiction.

Not a single offending online casino was regulated in either the UK, Malta or Sweden. This goes to show that gambling sites who submit the authority of these regions are proving themselves to be trustworthy and not interested in short-term financial gain through predatory blackhat advertising practices.

When you're looking for a new online casino it would be worth considering those who are licenced by the Malta Gaming Authority, the UK Gambling Commission and the Swedish Gaming Authority, as these regulatory bodies work hard to ensure you can gamble with peace of mind.

 Gamstop Not Lying Down

Gamstop chief executive, Fiona Palmer, was lenient with Google stating while she was concerned by this glaring weakness in their system, she did not believe there was any malicious intent on the search providers part.

Choosing to look to the future she said:

“Consequently, 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.”

Let’s hope that the backlash from this kind of underhanded marketing does not negatively impact those sites who follow protocol and serve approved ads, as is often the case.