Google has just announced the implementation of a new Gambling and Games advertising policy, with the effective date being April 14, 2025. The company seeks to rework the country-by-country criteria and introduce comprehensive explanations of different gambling types. This is not Google’s first time making updates such as this one which are necessary for it to remain in compliance with the laws of the locations it operates in and ensure that it maintains a good advertising policy. Search results and display networks will be the channels through which gambling-related content can be promoted on Google’s platforms.
Under the new policy, advertisers will have to adhere to stricter definitions and geographical certification requirements. Among the transformations, the most obvious one is the amendment in the title by adding the word “legal” to the online gambling policy, which states, “Only gambling legally allowed in the real world is allowed to be advertised.” The search engine also has a list of several countries that will not allow the promotion of offline gambling; this includes Singapore, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, and China. This is a move to make the company compliant with the law in order to grow the business in the region.
Google’s innovation will be an expansion of the allowed promoted content section of the new policy that will include the definition of different online gambling types. Along with the services of online gambling, the ads of gambling-related websites, including comparison and aggregator sites, will be permissible. However, the policy does not limit the promotion of online gambling things on topics outside of these categories. The choice of the individual for this game is not allowed. The updated guidelines also relate to specific regions, for example the ban on the promotion of Mahjong with money exchanges in the Asia-Pacific area.
Advertisers who want to advertise gambling-related materials should submit the application for certification from Google and need to have their registration, authorization, and licenses. As for the company, it is really insistent about advertisers who are quick to notify Google if there are any changes in their licensing status. Not following these rules or disseminating without the necessary certificates is likely to be the cause of account suspension or being banned. Google’s hard-nosed stance speaks to the fact that the company is seriously committed to the responsible advertising of gambling.
