[IDG] All three companies to pay multimillion-dollar fines; in addition, Microsoft and Yahoo to create online ad campaigns warning of risks of online gamblingMicrosoft will pay $21 million, Google will pay $3 million, and Yahoo will pay $7.5 million, the DOJ said in a news release. The three companies neither contest nor admit that they promoted illegal online gambling by running advertisements for gambling Web sites between 1997 and this year.The settlements stem from an investigation into illegal online gambling by U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway of the Eastern District of Missouri, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service. Hanaway’s office indicted the founder of Betonsports.com, 10 other people, and four companies on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and fraud in a crackdown on online gambling on June 1, 2006.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/12/19/Microsoft-Google-Yahoo-settle-gambling-charges_1.html
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9053642
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140678-c,companynews/article.htmlAlso see:
Internet Companies Agree to Gambling Settlement [AP]
The three largest Internet companies have agreed to pay a combined $31.5 million to settle federal civil allegations they took ads for illegal gambling, the U.S. Attorney for eastern Missouri said Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Internet-Gambling-Settlement.html
http://news.smh.com.au/microsoft-google-yahoo-to-pay-315-million-over-gambling-ads/20071220-1i5q.html
http://news.theage.com.au/microsoft-google-yahoo-to-pay-315-million-over-gambling-ads/20071220-1i5q.htmlus: Internet giants settle gambling ad claims
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have paid $31.5m to settle with the US government over claims that they promoted illegal online gambling by allowing advertising on their sites. The world’s three biggest internet companies were accused of receiving money from online gambling businesses to advertise illegal betting between 1997 and June 2007. In addition to the cash settlement, the companies will spend millions on advertising campaigns warning young people of the dangers of gambling.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7974616-ae83-11dc-97aa-0000779fd2ac,s01=1.html