In Australia, it’s illegal to display gambling advertisements on Australian web sites, and Google Australia may be in violation.
Misspelled search terms on Google Australia have been delivering online gambling ads to viewers. According to a report from ZDNet Australia, when a site’s users are generally considered to be mostly in Australia, displaying those ads could result in significant daily fines for violators.
The issue seems to focus on advertising casino-style games. Australia’s Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts drafted the Interactive Gambling Act in 2001. Google’s problem, and that of a Melbourne-based search engine company called Web Wombat, may stem from this passage listed in a review of the Act provided by the DCITA:
The IGA makes it an offence to provide interactive gambling services to customers physically located in Australia. This offence, which carries a maximum penalty of $220,000 (AUD) per day for individuals and $1.1 million (AUD) per day for corporations, applies to all interactive gambling service providers, whether based in Australia or offshore, whether Australian or foreign owned. These prohibited services typically include online casino-style gaming services of chance or mixed chance and skill, such as roulette, poker, craps, online poker machines and blackjack. The IGA also makes it an offence to advertise interactive gambling services in Australia.
The Act does permit some forms of online gambling, like betting on sports or racing events. But like in America, there are people who want to engage in other forms of gaming online, and find ways around the law to do so. Gaming operators know this and want to reach that audience.
Web Wombat has already acknowledged to ZDNet Australia its index contains illegal links. “What we are trying to do is fire fight, we know it is illegal and we are trying to get rid of them as they come out,” said Michael Tancredi, Web Wombat managing director, to ZDNet.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
