Google Prohibits Offline Gambling Ads in 35 Countries

Google has once again updated its gambling policy, aligning it with the rules in some of the countries it is operating in. Per the new restrictions, marketers will be unable to promote offline gambling in jurisdictions that prohibit it.

Google Listed the 35 Countries Where Advertisers Can No Longer Promote Offline Gambling

According to the announcement, the changes will affect 35 countries where promoting offline real-money games of chance is in violation of the law. These include the following:

• Afghanistan
• Algeria
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Bulgaria
• China
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Estonia
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Iraq
• Italy
• Jordan
• Korea
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Lithuania
• Malaysia
• The Maldives
• Morocco
• Northern Ireland
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palestine
• The Philippines
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Singapore
• Sudan
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• The United Arab Emirates
• Vietnam
• Yemen

The policy was updated on November 19 and the new rules are already in effect, meaning that the “promotion of offline gambling is prohibited in locations where it is illegal to advertise offline gambling.”

As a result, marketers will need to adapt in order to remain compliant with the platform’s ad policy.

Google Updated Its Gambling Policy Several Times This Year

The changes come in the wake of several updates to Google’s Gambling Policy as the platform sought to tackle the proliferation of ads even in regions that do not allow gambling. Earlier updates saw Google define what is it considers to be gambling-related content and introduce stricter enforcement options, including potential bans in case of repeat offenses.

Further updates targeted Google’s Gambling and Games policy regarding certain countries with more specific gaming rules.

Additionally, Google updated its policy on sweepstakes products amid continued pushback against the vertical. In that update, the platform did not recognize sweepstakes as social casino games, saying that they are outside the scope of the social casino games policy and ineligible for certification.

Games that fall under the banner of real-world rewards are subject to the specific restrictions and allowances of the online gambling policy.

Google

In the meantime, Australia just softened its stance on online gambling ads despite calls for a ban on all gambling advertisement.