Gambling Ad Formats, Placements and Targeting

Formats each platform documents

If a format is not named, ask the platform before you plan around it. The policy library links to each platform's page.

Geotargeting

Licensing is local, so targeting has to be too. Google requires certified gambling ads to "only target approved countries," and in the US says advertisers must "not target users under 21 or users outside of the state(s) where they are licensed." In Canada, Google says operators must be licensed by the relevant province and "target only that province." Microsoft's Australian rule says operators "must be state licensed in Australia and may not target other markets."

When a Google campaign targets both allowed and disallowed countries, it is marked "Eligible (limited)" and does not serve where gambling ads are banned. Treat that as an error to fix, and set exclusions deliberately, for example Northern Ireland on Google, which the UK row excludes.

Audiences

Google treats location-based gambling as a sensitive interest category. Advertiser-curated audiences "can't be used if promoting in sensitive interest categories," while predefined Google audiences "can be used even if promoting in sensitive interest categories" because sensitive signals are removed automatically. Users under 18 are not eligible for personalized advertising at all.

Audience composition rules also apply off-platform. Some US rules limit ads by the age mix of the audience; the age restrictions guide has the figures and explains how to document them.

Live sport in Australia

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) rules for live sport streamed over the internet say "no gambling advertising or promotion of odds is allowed during play." Between 5am and 8.30pm, gambling ads and odds promotion are also barred from "5 minutes before the published scheduled start of play" until 5 minutes after it ends, in the viewer's time zone. Racing is excluded. Buying sports inventory in Australia means checking these windows with the publisher. The Australia rules page has the rest.

Social casino is a separate category

Google and TikTok both define social casino games apart from real-money gambling. Google says they are "online simulated gambling-style games where there is no opportunity to win something of value," and requires a separate application. Do not run social casino creative under a real-money approval, or the other way round. See the Google Ads policy page.

Questions

Can I run gambling ads on Microsoft's audience network?

Microsoft's editorial guidelines say gambling and contest ads may appear only in text search ads, so we found no basis for audience network placements.

Can I target the whole US with sportsbook ads on Google?

Only on YouTube, for sports betting ads, under Google's current rules. Other Google gambling ads must target only the states where you are licensed.

Sources

1. Google Ads Policies Help, Gambling and games (official English version), no date shown.
2. Google Ads Policies Help, Location-based gambling in personalized advertising, no date shown.
3. Google Ads Policies Help, Updates to Gambling and games policy (August 2023), effective August 29, 2023.
4. Microsoft Advertising, Gambling and contests editorial guidelines, no date shown.
5. X Business, X Ads Policy Update Log, entries dated by month.
6. X Business, Gambling content, no date shown.
7. ACMA, Gambling ads during live sport streamed over the internet, no date shown.
8. Massachusetts Gaming Commission, 205 CMR 256.00: Sports wagering advertising, Mass. Register #1581, August 28, 2026.
9. American Gaming Association, Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, updated March 28, 2023.

All pages checked October 28, 2026. How we choose sources: data sources.