German gambling regulator hails collaboration with Google
The regulator believes the collaboration is helping to tackle illegal gambling in Germany.
Germany.- The CEO of Germany’s federal gambling regulator, the GGL, has hailed the success of its collaboration with Google to tackle advertising for unlicensed gambling. It says it now aims to tackle the use of SEO strategies.
Ronald Benter said the GGL had observed that adverts on Google for unlicensed gambling offerings in Germany were declining following an update to its advertising policy in September. Only gambling operators and intermediaries with a GGL-issued licence may advertise using Google Ads, although the guidelines exclude online casino comparison sites. The GGL said it had been closely monitoring the impact of its collaboration with Google and had seen “clear effectiveness from our perspective”.
Benter said: “We will continue to monitor developments and remain in dialogue with Google to achieve additional restrictions on the advertising opportunities for illegal gambling providers.”
He said the GGL was also working to restrict advertising for operators using search engine optimisation techniques.
“These providers often use optimisation strategies such as intensive link marketing or manipulation of search engine rankings to maintain visibility in Google’s organic search results,” the GGL noted.
“The GGL is committed to establishing effective restrictions in these areas as well. The authority is optimistic that further constructive discussions with Google can lead to additional measures to curb advertising for illegal gambling offers.”
Meanwhile, the Halle Administrative Court has upheld an order issued by the GGL to block a Swiss payment provider. The court upheld the decision to ban the unnamed provider from processing transactions for unlicensed gambling operators.
The regulator noted that the court had ruled in favour of a wide interpretation of the ban, prohibiting it from processing transactions for future unlicensed gambling offerings as well as existing offerings without the need for the usual prior notification of the specific companies.
In September, the GGL reported that it had received 1,500 tipoffs from the public related to online gambling via its reporting portal since it began its regulatory duties at the start of last year. The regulator thanked the public for providing information in an announcement that was made to coincide with Germany’s action day against gambling addiction.
