Google Ad Words - gambling?

[Kestrel]

Originally posted by Randy@Nov 14 2005, 05:59 PM
[b]
Since it's THEIR website, Google can approve or disapprove any ads that they want to. They're allowed to have fuzzy or specific (or even non-existent) guidelines, their choice. They're also allowed to exercise any kind of editorial discretion that they like.

Most of the people hanging out on this forum own their own websites. Guess what? They can each decide whether or not they're going to let me advertise on their sites. That's one of the perks of owning a website.

People think that because Google is a big website with a lot of traffic, they have to play by some kind of unwritten rules of fairness, but they don't. They're not a government institution; they're a business, and they're allowed to make any business decisions they want to.

Anyone who doesn't like their business decisions has the option of not patronizing their business.

I agree with your point Randy, they are allowed to do whatever they want and don't owe small-time website builders like me one thing (if anything I owe them B)).

However, most of the people here who are making websites, aren't making sites that serve the purpose of helping web-users find the best possible webpage for their search.

Whereas Google is a great search engine, and the adwords works not just on who pays the most, but also which site gets the most hits and are the most popular. It seems to me that Google are always trying to acheive the best search results and find the most popular website.
Therefore, my opinion on this whole "gambling" adwords subject is that it is not helping their searches in acheiving the best results. It also is not a positive step for Poker sites when somebody is shown a bunch of sites with 'cheat-systems' + I really really badly wanna get on there.

[PPP]

Their policy came about after being strong armed by the Justice Department. They don't allow sites that link to online gambling to advertise (including 888 of course). Some people sleaze ads in for a time but they get removed.

Google would love to be able to take online gambling adwords, but they choose to avoid a showdown with the government so they don't.

Every webmaster or website, be it Google or one of us can discriminate in any way we want when it comes to accepting paid advertising.

I was contacted a few months ago from a potential advertiser that wanted to pay me to promote one of those "Cheat at Online Poker" Ebooks. Although he was offering me a nice price, I still turned him down and gave no explanation.

(I felt as I wouldn't be doing Gods work in the poker world by accepting this type of advertising :lol: :lol: :lol: )