Google Ads Gambling and Games Policy

What the policy covers

Google's Gambling and games policy "covers online gambling, offline gambling and online gambling-promoting content." It defines gambling as "Staking something of value on the outcome of events or processes determined by an element of chance." That takes in sports betting, casino games, bingo, lotteries and, in some countries, raffles and prize draws.

Gambling-promoting content means pages that send people to gambling, such as comparison sites. Google lists "Promotion of online gambling promoting content other than aggregator or affiliate sites" as not allowed, so only aggregators and affiliates that meet the policy can promote other operators. Our guide to gambling affiliate advertising covers what that means in practice.

Certification and licensing

The policy is direct: "Advertisers need to apply for certification from Google in order to run gambling and gambling-promoting content." Google requires certification, a valid local license for every targeted region and a separate application per country. The Google Ads gambling certification guide covers the documents, the order of steps and recertification.

Rules for every approved country

Certified gambling ads must "only target approved countries," "have a landing page that displays information about responsible gambling," and "never target minors." When a campaign targets a mix of allowed and disallowed countries, Google labels it "Eligible (limited)" and the ads do not run where gambling ads are not allowed.

What counts as a minor depends on the market. Our guide to gambling ad age restrictions lists the ages that apply in each of our four countries, and the landing page requirements guide sets out what the destination page should show.

Country rows in our four markets

Google's country table sets different conditions for each market. These are the rows as we read them on October 28, 2026.

Two details are easy to miss. The United Kingdom row excludes Northern Ireland, which has its own row: lotteries only, where "UK State-owned or government-licensed lotteries are allowed." Other online gambling is not eligible for certification there. In the United States, lottery courier advertisers must be licensed in at least one state and may target only states where the service is not prohibited.

Social casino games

Google treats simulated casino games separately. It says "Social casino games are online simulated gambling-style games where there is no opportunity to win something of value." These games need their own application, must state that "they aren't offering or promoting real money gambling", and may not be promoted through aggregator or affiliate content. The policy notes that social casino applications move into Google Ads accounts from September 2026.

Audiences and personalized ads

A separate Google policy treats location-based gambling, meaning physical casinos that promote gambling, as a sensitive interest category. Advertiser-curated audiences "can't be used if promoting in sensitive interest categories," while Google's predefined audiences can be used because sensitive signals are excluded automatically. Users under 18 are not eligible for personalized advertising of any kind. The guide to gambling ad formats and targeting compares these limits with other platforms.

Recent changes to the policy

• August 29, 2023: operators licensed in at least five US states could apply to run national sports betting ads on YouTube, without targeting users under 21.
• December 12, 2023: Google began accepting certified lottery courier ads in Arkansas, Montana, New Jersey and New York.
• October 15, 2024: raffle and prize draw operators registered with the Fundraising Regulator or the Scottish Charity Register could apply to advertise in the UK.

All dated changes across platforms are on the gambling ad policy change tracker.

Questions

Does Google Ads allow gambling affiliate ads?

Yes, where the country allows it. Google's policy restricts gambling-promoting content to aggregator or affiliate sites that meet its requirements, and the country table sets which markets accept them. Each target country needs its own application.

Does Google allow gambling ads in Northern Ireland?

Only for lotteries. Google's Northern Ireland row lists lotteries and says "UK State-owned or government-licensed lotteries are allowed." Other online gambling is not eligible for certification there.

What happens if my campaign targets a country Google does not approve?

Google marks the campaign "Eligible (limited)" and the ads do not serve in the countries where gambling ads are not allowed. They can still run in the approved countries.

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.
3. Google Ads Policies Help, Updates to Gambling and games policy (December 2023), posted December 6, 2023.
4. Google Ads Policies Help, Update to Gambling and Games Policy (September 2024), announced September 14, 2024.
5. Google Ads Policies Help, Location-based gambling in personalized advertising, no date shown.

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