Row over Google gambling go-ahead
Updated on 17 October 2008
Gambling websites are able to advertise on internet search engine Google, it was reported.
The decision to introduce adverts for bookmakers and casinos into its sponsored links has angered politicians and religious groups.
Google introduced a worldwide ban on gambling adverts on its sites in 2004, but has opened up the market for it's UK website.
The move comes after television advertising restrictions on bookmakers, casinos and online gambling sites were lifted by the Government last year.
Internet users are confronted by the sponsored links when they type certain words into the Google search engine.
Figures released this week by gambling addiction charity Gamcare show a large increase in the number of people who feel they have a problem. They reported that annual calls to their helpline rose 25% to just below 38,000 last year. The average debt of people who rang for help was over £17,500.
Peter Kilfoyle, the former Labour Defence minister, said the timing of the move was "extraordinary". He said: "I think it's extraordinary that a major global company should seek, at this time, to promote gambling on its internet site. I'm not being judgmental. I'm talking about the timing of it. It's extraordinary."
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: "It's a matter for Google."
The Church of England described the move as causing "serious" problems for internet users. A spokesman said: "The Church of England accepts that gambling is permitted as an adult recreation, but there is a real danger of 'normalising' gambling through developments like this.
"Whatever people are searching for on Google, it probably isn't the chance to risk developing a serious problem which could have a hugely negative effect on themselves and their family. As people are facing more financial uncertainty, the fantasy of instant wealth could become particularly attractive and the consequences of losses correspondingly serious."
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