Google Ads Gambling Certification: A Step-by-Step Guide

Who needs certification

Google says "Advertisers need to apply for certification from Google in order to run gambling and gambling-promoting content." That covers operators running their own ads and affiliates or aggregators that send people to operators. Social casino games have a separate application of their own. If you are unsure which side of the line you are on, the Google Ads gambling policy summary sets out the categories.

What to prepare before you apply

1. A license for every region. Google's rule is "You must hold a valid local license for every region you intend to target and provide evidence of that licence." In the UK that means Gambling Commission registration with a valid operating license number; in the US, a license from each state entity; in Canada, a provincial license; in Australia, a state or territory license.
2. A self-hosted site. "Certification is not available for sites hosted on free platforms." Use your own domain and hosting.
3. A landing page that meets the rules. Gambling ads must "have a landing page that displays information about responsible gambling." Build it before you apply. The landing page requirements guide lists what to include.
4. A targeting plan. List the exact countries, and in the US the states, you will target. Ads may "only target approved countries" and must "never target minors."
5. Affiliate proof, if relevant. If you promote other operators, be ready to show your relationship with them and that your content meets Google's rules for aggregator and affiliate sites.

Applying country by country

Google is explicit that "If you want to target more than one country, you must submit a separate application form for each individual country." Plan the order: start with your best-documented market, learn what the reviewer asks for, then repeat for the rest. Keep one folder per country with the license, the URLs and the account IDs you named.

US campaigns need extra care. Google says advertisers must "not target users under 21 or users outside of the state(s) where they are licensed," and must show a warning about addictive and compulsive gambling with assistance information on the landing page or in the ad. National targeting is allowed only for sports betting ads on YouTube, a route Google opened on August 29, 2023 for operators licensed in at least five states. The US rules page covers the state law on top.

After approval

Certification is tied to what you told Google. "You must recertify in the event of any material change to the information you provided in your application." New domains, new markets, a change of license or a new advertiser entity are all reasons to recertify before you launch, not after.

Watch for the "Eligible (limited)" status, defined in our glossary. It means a campaign targets both allowed and disallowed countries, and the ads will not serve where gambling ads are not allowed. It is a prompt to fix targeting rather than a sign that everything is fine.

Gaps to fix before you apply

• The license does not cover every region in the targeting plan.
• The landing page lacks responsible gambling information, or shows offers in a market where they cannot be advertised, such as public bonus ads in Ontario.
• The site sits on a free hosting platform or a subdomain you do not control.
• The application names one domain and the ads use another.

Use the gambling ad pre-launch checklist to run through these before you submit, and compare Google's process with other platforms in the policy library.

Questions

How many Google gambling applications do I need?

One for each country you want to target. Google requires a separate application form for each individual country.

Can I get certified for the US without licenses in every state?

You can be certified for the states where you are licensed, and you must not target users outside them. National targeting is limited to sports betting ads on YouTube under Google's rules.

Does certification expire?

Google's page does not give an expiry period, but it requires recertification after any material change to the information in your application.

Sources

1. Google Ads Policies Help, Gambling and games (official English version), no date shown.
2. Google Ads Policies Help, Updates to Gambling and games policy (August 2023), effective August 29, 2023.

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