This one has come out of left-field and has caught many folks (even those in the gambling industry) by surpise. It seems Google is trying to make a little extra cash by offering adwords to qualified UK customers. Now some of the affiliates are screaming bloody-murder.
Google is set to lift its 4 year ban on gambling ads and allow gambling sites to advertise on their search result pages. The move has received a mixed response as you might expect with many groups suggesting that this is reckless in the extreme and others of the view that it was about time for the change. But what is really behind the move?
There have been a number of ideas put forward as to the reason for the change in policy, which will initially happen in the UK and then probably be rolled out, but there is one which really sticks out like a sore thumb. Is the mighty Google finally feeling the economic pinch? Is the recession which has smashed worldwide economies finally hitting cyberspace? Is the juggernaut which is Google desperate for cash? I think not but hey, more money never hurts right? You can BET on that!