Websites form some of the top universities in America were the targets of a hacking scheme to boost the SEO ranking on Google for an online slots website.
“Researchers discovered that schools such as Stanford, New York University and Carnegie Mellon University were inadvertently linking to a site for “real money slots” The links were embedded seemingly at random in course descriptions and press releases that had nothing to do with gaming.” according to a report from The Verge
Since these schools have strong SEO ranking on Google, the links were enough to propel the online slots site to a high ranking. An ad on such a site is reportedly worth $80. The research from eTraffic didn’t provide the URL for the slots website.
“There is so much money involved in the online gambling industry, people will always take the next step to bypass Google,” said eTraffic CEO Guy Revey, who uncovered the scheme.