Bookmaker News

The American Justice department has ordered Microsoft, Google and Yahoo to pay fines totalling 31.5 million dollars for allowing the advertising of online gambling since 1997, which is illegal in the USA.

Microsoft, the most heavily punished of the three, is accused of selling advertising space to online betting companies between 1997 and 2007 and has been sentenced to pay 21 million dollars in fines, including 4.5 million to the State and 7.5 million to a centre that campaigns against the exploitation of children. Yahoo, accused of the same offences over a ten-year period, will pay out 7.5 million dollars, including 4.5 million for the same campaign as Microsoft. Google has been ordered to pay 3 million dollars.

These groups are also obliged to spend 14 million dollars on a three-year information campaign aimed especially at young people, which will stress the fact that online casinos are illegal. This will prevent them from being prosecuted under the Federal Wire Wager Act.

The sanctions employed by the USA follow on from the law passed last October, which strengthens the sanctions against online gambling and betting: activities that were already illegal. This law also makes it possible to punish bank transfers in an effort to combat overseas sites which remain very popular with American punters.

It should be remembered that the USA has recently been found guilty of obstructing foreign companies by the World Trade organisation and has agreed to compensate Europeans by opening up other sectors of its markets such as postal, research, development, warehousing, analysis and testing services.