Is A Ban On Gambling Ads A Violation Of Free Speech?

from the next-big-legal-challenge dept

Earlier this year, we noted that the Justice Department was telling websites they might be "aiding and abetting" illegal activity by running ads for online gambling operations, even if those operations were perfectly legal and run outside of the US. Now, the operator of a casino news website, Casino City, has filed a a lawsuit to have it declared that running such ads is protected free speech, and that the government can't tell them to stop. Of course, there are some precedents, such as bans on liquor and tobacco advertising, but it doesn't appear that any specific law has been put in place banning gambling ads. Still, all of this makes you wonder if the Department of Justice doesn't have slightly more important things to be worrying about than if a casino news site has ads from online casinos.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    thecaptain, 17 Aug 2004 @ 4:53am

    No Subject Given

    While I'm not for or against the ban on online casino advertising, I'm starting to get a little tired with companies thinking that commercial speech is "free speech". Anyone else find it ridiculous that advertising has become a constitutional issue?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    Mike (profile), 17 Aug 2004 @ 9:07am

    Re: No Subject Given

    It's a little different, actually... I would agree with you if it were an advertiser who was complaining. But, this is a publisher who is prevented from the type of advertising they can offer by the government. That seems a bit closer to a free speech question.

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.