Revised Partnerships Policy Halts Paid Gambling Promotion on X

X, the social media giant formerly known as Twitter, has quietly snuck in a major new change to its Paid Partnerships policy. The Elon Musk-owned platform just excluded gambling from its list of industries permitted to promote their product via organic collaborations, causing turmoil among operators.

A Sudden Change in Policy

Under the new changes to X’s paid advertising policy, gambling companies will no longer be allowed to participate in organic commercial deals, sending shockwaves across the gaming industry. This means that gambling operators will no longer be able to promote their products via arrangements with third-parties, such as brand ambassadors and affiliates, or via incentives, such as gifts and discounts.

People familiar with the matter understood that betting brands would either need to shift into formal advertising routes that meet the social media platform’s standards or leave. Under X’s rules, violations could lead to content removal and other restrictions.

The updated policy treats gambling-like products, such as sports betting and sweepstakes, as products in the same category as gambling. As a result, all companies within this sector will have to rethink how they approach marketing on X.

Some Say the Regulation of Gaming Ads Is Insufficient

The changes to X’s Paid Partnerships policy come a week after the publication of a study from the University of Sheffield, which suggested that existing regulations on gambling advertising may be inadequate. The report cited new findings, which suggest that TV ads substantially affected betting behavior during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

With the new World Cup steadily approaching, researchers encouraged regulators to rethink their approach to regulation.

At the same time, the British Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) published the results of a new study into the country’s gambling sector, asserting that the UK’s gambling marketing is on the decline due to regulatory difficulties.