Wether or not it is legal to market is important to know. With reference to Germany, contrary to popular belief it is also illegal to play at online casinos (i.e. not state licensed casinos) there just hasn´t been a case yet where the government has enforced this law.
And yes, the free 888 and partypoker ads piss me off as well. Surely that shouldn´t be allowed. That´s advertising through the backdoor. Same rules for everyone.