Web engines to scrap online gambling ads

Google and Yahoo, two of the most widely used Internet search engines, have decided to stop running advertisements for online casinos, a shift that could dampen the growth of online gambling.

The move, which the companies said would go into effect by the end of April, comes as US federal prosecutors are threatening action against American companies that do business with Internet casinos based abroad. The prosecutors are arguing that the American companies are 8216;8216;aiding and abetting8217;8217; offshore Internet casinos, whose operations are illegal in the US. Prosecutors started a grand jury investigation last year, issuing subpoenas to American broadcasters, publishers and websites that run advertisements for online casinos.

Executives from Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, California, and Google, based in Mountain View, California, declined to say whether they have been subjects of the investigation. 8212; NYT