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Internet Companies Pay Millions in Gambling Ad Settlement
Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google have agreed to pay a combined USD $31.5 million to settle allegations that they accepted advertisements for illegal online gambling activities. The federal investigation in the United States (which involved the FBI, the IRS, and the US Attorney Office) began in 2000, and negotiations over the settlement have been going on for several years. No company admitted or contested liability, and each of them had long stopped accepting such advertisements. Yahoo also agreed to run public service advertising about the risks of gambling.
The three companies have agreed not to accept advertisements for online gambling (including sports gambling), and to participate in a public service campaign about its illegality.
The US Attorney’s Office has been acting for some time to stop online gambling and advertising for online gambling. This latest settlement is expected to have a significant impact, given that it involves three of the world’s largest Internet companies.
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http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_7761388