Restrictions on television advertising by gambling companies, casinos and online gambling sites were lifted in the UK last month. After Yahoo and MSN's U.K. subsidiaries opened their doors to U.K.-licensed gambling ads last month, most of us could expect Google U.K. to follow suit despite a longstanding anti-gambling stance. But when the announcement came out, Google denied it was a reaction to other search engines, but said it had been in place for some time.

"This is not a quick decision, it's been discussed for months," said James Cashmore of Google. 바카라사이트 추천

"Denis Woodside Google Vice President and MD, Benelux & Ireland and the team have been reviewing policies from a legal and user needs perspective at the local level," he said. "I am confident that the local market will make more decisions in the future."

Many experts see this shift by the large search market as another sign of the economic era. Lifting restrictions on gambling advertising has the potential to bring millions of dollars in new revenue not only for Google but also for other major search markets.

Google has very specific rules to allow advertising, which require advertisers to be registered with the Gambling Commission and provide a valid operating permit. People within the European Economic Area but outside the UK must obtain permission to advertise gambling in their home countries. Advertisements are only available through Google's search results page, not through the content network site, and all gambling ads are automatically classified as Non-Family Safe.

The decision has sparked controversy among political and religious organizations. Even if Google does not encourage gambling, the financial crisis is producing money problems.