YouTube owners, Google have been displaying online gambling ads on their search engine in recent times, but it is only now that restrictions have been lifted on these ads appearing on the video-sharing and distribution website.
This is another part of the relaxation of the gambling advertising laws in the UK. Online casinos and betting companies offering their sites to UK players can now advertise themselves on YouTube using age-restricted campaigns on the YouTube homepage, ads within brand channels and ads on video pages.
UK viewers looking to view the ads will have to verify that they are over 18. Users whose YouTube profiles show they are over 18 will also see some ads appearing on their YouTube pages while they use the site.
Ladbrokes have been the first online casino to take advantage of the relaxation in the law, advertising their brand on YouTube in a click-to-pay campaign.
The move has not gone totally smoothly, however, and has been hit by elements of controversy. Google has been working alongside GamCare, an organization that helps people who have gambling addiction problems. However, there was some concern when the ads first appeared that Google had not informed the gambling support group that online casino and gambling adverts would be available to UK viewers on YouTube.
Google has assured all interested parties that their YouTube ads are totally responsible and do not in any way conflict with their interests in GamCare. Google UK spokesman, James Cashmore, commented that the restrictions placed on the gambling advertisements would prevent anyone under 18 being shown the ads. He stressed that Google had thought long and hard about the decision and that it was an informed and sensible choice: “We’ve been in discussion with brands and agencies about this for more than two years”, he said.
Over the past couple of years, Google has allowed paid search gambling terms to be used on their search engines. Spirit brands were then given permission to advertise using Google AdWords. It is clear that Google has been determined to relax advertising restrictions in recent years, so this move to allow greater freedom for online casino and gambling advertisements was expected since Google acquired YouTube in October 2009 in a $1.65 billion deal.