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Display & Video 360 users must comply with this Google Ads policy. Visit the Display & Video 360 help centre for additional restrictions.
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Gambling and gambling-promoting content
We support responsible gambling advertising and require that advertisers abide by local gambling laws and industry standards. Check local regulations for the areas that you want to target.
The below policy covers online gambling, offline gambling and online gambling-promoting content. Each section of this policy sets out what we allow within each category. We only allow advertising of gambling and gambling-promoting content where the criteria set out in the relevant sections below are met. Gambling and online gambling-promoting content ads and destinations must also:
- only target approved countries,
- have a landing page that displays information about responsible gambling and
- never target minors.
What is gambling?
The term 'gambling' and related terms have legal definitions which differ from country to country. Where we refer to gambling (and related terms) in this policy, we are referring both to gambling as defined by law under the regulatory framework in the country that you are targeting with ads, and to anything that functions in the following way:
- Staking something of value on the outcome of events or processes determined by an element of chance with the opportunity to win something of value
What is gambling-promoting content?
Gambling-promoting content means:
- content which directly promotes engagement in gambling activities and/or
- gambling promoting content which requires authorisation under local law.
Online gambling and online gambling-promoting content
We only allow advertising of online gambling and online gambling-promoting content in the countries listed below and where the country-specific certification criteria are met. Learn how to apply for certification. Online gambling of any type not listed under 'Online gambling' for a particular country is not eligible for certification and may not be advertised. Where online gambling-promoting content is not listed for a particular country, it may not be advertised there.
Below we set out what we do and do not allow in these categories.
The following is allowed:
Promotion of online gambling
Examples: Online casinos or bookmakers, online bingo or slots sites or apps, online lottery ticket or online scratch card purchase, online sports betting, online gambling games played with virtual currencies or items that have real-world value.
- Aggregator or affiliate sites that provide information about, or a comparison of, other gambling services
Destinations featuring online-gambling promoting content must not offer gambling services themselves or link to gambling services that they own. Additionally, they cannot promote any gambling activities that don't comply with the country-specific requirements set out below for online gambling in the country that they are targeting. This means that any promoted products must have the listed authorisation or licences in that country.
The following is not allowed:
Promotion of online gambling promoting content other than aggregator or affiliate sites that provide information about, or a comparison of, other gambling services is not allowed
Advertisers must maintain any licence, authorisation, registration or similar required under this policy for as long as the advertiser remains certified by us and must notify us immediately if any of the above expires or is suspended or terminated. Serving gambling ads without a valid certification may result in your account being prohibited from running ads until you apply for and receive certification.
Country-specific requirements
Country-specific requirements
Offline gambling
Examples: 'bricks-and-mortar casinos', entertainment events at casinos, streaming of offline poker tournaments
Online non-casino games
Examples: Crane games, chess or video games, fantasy sports (unless local law considers this gambling or unlawful), pay-to-enter multi-player games with a prize of value where the winner is determined by skill.
Examples: Fantasy sports where local law considers this gambling.
Social casino games
We only allow advertising of social casino games in the countries listed below, where the requirements listed below are met and where the advertiser holds a Google Ads certification for social casino games. An account may be certified for either social casino games or online gambling content. In order to advertise both, you will need separate accounts. Learn how to apply for certification.
Social casino games are online simulated gambling-style games where there is no opportunity to win something of value.
In order to receive and retain Google Ads certification, you must comply with the requirements below:
- Games must include a disclaimer that they are only intended for users over legal gambling age and must not target minors.
- The advertiser must hold a valid local licence for distribution of their games in the targeted country, where applicable.
- Games must include statements that they aren’t offering or promoting real money gambling and are not providing prizes of real-world value.
- The advertiser must disclose on the landing page or ad if a game includes in app purchases.
- Ads, sites or apps must not use logos, names or marks associated with real money gambling brands
Learn how to apply for certification.
Promotion of social casino games is only allowed in the following countries when the above requirements are met:
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Romania,, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
We take violations of this category very seriously and consider them egregious. If we find violations of this social casino games policy, we will suspend your Google Ads accounts upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again.
Apply for certification to promote gambling
- Refer to the policy and country-specific requirements and confirm that you meet those requirements.
- Apply for certification:
- If you are an operator or offering gambling-promoting content in one of the countries where we permit online gambling content, fill in the online gambling application form in the Google Ads Help Centre. To help prevent unnecessary delays, make sure that you provide all of the requested information.
- If you are a social casino game operator in one of the countries where we permit social casino gaming content, please fill in the Social casino games application to submit your website URL or app ID for certification.
- If you want to target more than one country, submit a separate application form for each country
Effect of the policy
If your ad is eligible and meets the requirements of the policy, serving may be affected by the following factors.
| Certification |
|---|
 Advertisers need to apply for certification from Google in order to run certain types of gambling-related ads. |
| Country |
|---|
Refer to the requirements above to learn where certain kinds of gambling ads can and cannot run.
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| Ad formats |
|---|
Acceptable ad formats can vary depending on factors such as the platform you're using, the status of your ad and whether a publisher or partner has opted to show such ads. Ad formats that cannot promote gambling (non-exhaustive):
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How to fix a violation
Here's more detail about each violation and what you can do if your ad is disapproved.
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next to 'Disapproved'.What can I do about policy violations?
- If you suspect that an ad is violating our policies, you can Report an ad.
- Ad or asset disapproval: Ads and assets that don't follow this policy may be disapproved. A disapproved ad won't run until the policy violation is fixed and the ad is eligible.
- Account suspension: An account may be suspended if you have several violations or an egregious violation. Submitting false information as part of your application or relying on certification under this policy to advertise products not permitted by it will result in suspension. If this happens, all ads in the suspended account will stop running and we may no longer accept advertising from you. Any related accounts may also be permanently suspended and your new accounts may be automatically suspended at setup. Learn more about suspended accounts.
To ensure a safe and positive experience for users, Google requires that advertisers comply with all applicable laws and regulations in addition to the Google Ads policies. It's important to familiarise yourself with and keep up to date on these requirements for the places where your business operates, as well as any other places your ads are showing. When we find content that violates these requirements, we may block it from appearing, and in cases of repeated or egregious violations, you may no longer be able to advertise with Google.
Need help?
If you have questions about our policies, let us know: Contact Google Ads Support
You can limit the ads that you see about certain topics that you might find uncomfortable. Learn more about how to limit ads about sensitive topics on Google.