Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google have agreed to pay $31.5 million to U.S. authorities to settle a claim that they accepted online ads promoting illegal gambling, according to Associated Press.
In settling the claim, the companies made no admission of guilt that they illegally accepted payments from online gaming firms between 1997 and 2007.
Microsoft will pay a total of $21 million, with one-third going to a charity for exploited children. It will also fund a three-year advertising campaign aimed at educating young people about illegal online gambling to the tune of $9 million.
Yahoo will hand over $3 million and also fund an educational advertising campaign at a cost of $4.5 million, while Google will pay authorities $3 million.
All the companies say they stopped accepting such ads a number of years ago.
