If google doesn’t allow gambling sites why are the often in the sponsored listings?

This is something that has really puzzled me. When I was new to the whole affiliate thing I signed up for Google adsense/sponsored listings thinking I would get my site up in the sponsored listing categories. However, unfortunately, I didn’t read the small print so didn’t realise that gambling sites weren’t allowed. I got an email from Google saying I couldn’t have the listings I wanted. When I explained to them that a good number of searches for gambling terms show sponsored results from gambling pages in the results and this is why i signed up for a publisher account, they refused to accept this and just fobbed me off with generic responses.

So, my question is, how is this happening. How come some advertisers seem to be able to get there adverts up and others not?

Regards,

John

I ran into the same problem and the way it was explained to me was that Google was no longer accepting gambling keywords. I believe that the sites that were already advertising with Google at the time they changed their policy were allowed to continue, but new sites were not accepted. Although I can swear that every now and then I see a site in the sponsored listings that I have never heard of before, perhaps it is owned by someone who previously had a advertised listing with them. Look at it this way, it makes you learn SEO and forces you to get into Google the hard which will end up being more benificial in the long run.

Is that an online thing?

It is a bit confusing at first but you have it correct.

Adwords is the Google program for advertisers where you create your ads and bid on certain keywords. The Ads appear on their search network which includes Google, Ask, AOL, Earthlink and some others.

You can optionally bid to have ads appear on their content network of websites which include sites like NY Times, Howstuffworks, About, a whole bunch of sites.

Adsense is for site owners and free to join, you display the (Adwords) ads on your site via code Google provides and earn a certain amount when someone clicks on the ad. The amount varies depending on the keyword.

With my (non-gambling) e-store they’ll be a bunch of sales from NY, then another time a bunch from Hawaii, etc.

Last year, when I was trying to advertise the slots ebook, Google told me no gambling sites as well. When I said that I see Adsense ads for gambling sites, they replied that those sites are not in the US.