Google complies with Italian bans on gambling adverts

Operators and industry experts have repeatedly warned Italy’s new coalition government that its proposed ban on almost all forms of gambling sponsorship and advertising could prove counter-productive, penalising Italian licensed operators but creating SEO advantages for offshore operators who insist on accessing the market.

The warnings were borne out when Google began complying with the Italian “Dignity Decree” on Monday, and almost immediately Italian-licensed operator entries started falling down the search results, replaced by unauthorised (in Italy) offshore operators.

There are still industry hopes that some sense may prevail in the Italian parliament as the goverment’s proposal moves forward, and trade bodies have pointed out that the Dignity Decree was not sumitted to the European Commission for its opinion and could therefore be procedurally and legally questionable.

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