Google is "preparing to lift its longstanding ban on advertisements for fantasy sports services," according to Shoshana Wodinsky of ADWEEK. The change -- which will be rolling out in select states by the end of this month -- will "allow media buyers to advertise across Google Ads and DV360." FanDuel CMO Mike Raffensperger said that until now, Google was the "only major digital network that refused to take advertising dollars from the fantasy sports space." He noted that FanDuel was "free to advertise across other major networks, including Facebook and Twitter." But Raffensperger said that if sites like FanDuel "wanted to reach American consumers across Google’s networks, the only way was by advertising one of their 'free-to-play' offerings, rather than the services offering cash payouts." Google Head of Financial Trading & Egaming Chris Harrison said the company is "trying to get the balance right between protecting users, recognizing client needs and then realizing there is an unregulated industry." Harrison: "We understand that we have a role to play in allowing the regulated operators to position themselves favorably against the unregulated industry" (ADWEEK.com, 8/13).
