The Ukrainian Gambling Council has called on Google to stop blocking ads from licensed Ukrainian gambling operators, arguing that the policy is harmful to businesses and the state, while benefiting illegal operators.
Efforts to tackle illegal online gambling are important, but over the past year, Google’s unbalanced approach has caused major problems. Search engines have been blocking all ads related to licensed Ukrainian gambling companies, which operate under fixed domain names. In contrast, illegal operators, who can easily change domains and jurisdictions, have largely avoided these bans.
Google treats Ukraine as a country where all gambling, except lotteries, is banned. As a result, legal companies, despite holding state licenses and sponsoring sports events, are unable to advertise their services online. This has led to significant financial losses for these companies and a reduction in tax revenue for the state.
Lotteries, however, are allowed to advertise on Google, despite operating under expired licenses from 2014 and imitating other gambling services without proper licenses or paying taxes. This creates an uneven playing field, where lotteries face no advertising restrictions while licensed operators do.
In response, the Ukrainian Gambling Council has appealed to Google’s leadership in Ukraine, asking them to lift the restrictions on licensed gambling companies.
They request that Google allow advertising for:
– Gambling in physical establishments
– Online casino gambling
– Online and retail betting
– Slot machine halls
– Online poker
Additionally, they want Google to remove restrictions on mobile app advertising, allowing licensed operators to promote their services through Google platforms in Ukraine.
