Google Prohibits Offline Gambling Ads in 35 Countries
Summary
Google has updated its gambling advertising policy (effective 19 November 2025) to prohibit the promotion of offline, real‑money gambling in jurisdictions where local law bans such advertising. The move affects 35 countries and requires marketers and operators to change campaigns and creative to remain compliant. This update follows several policy tweaks this year that tightened definitions, enforcement and country‑specific rules, and also included changes to how sweepstakes and real‑world reward games are treated.
The 35 affected countries are: 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 and Yemen.
Key Points
- Policy effective date: 19 November 2025 — promotion of offline gambling is now prohibited where it is illegal to advertise such activity.
- The change explicitly covers 35 countries (examples include China, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, Turkey and Ukraine).
- Advertisers, affiliates and operators must update targeting and creative to avoid non‑compliant offline gambling ads in those jurisdictions.
- This is part of a broader sequence of Google policy updates this year: clearer gambling content definitions, stricter enforcement for repeat offenders and country‑specific provisions.
- Google also revised its stance on sweepstakes and real‑world‑reward games, excluding some products from social casino certification and treating them under the online gambling policy when applicable.
Context and relevance
The update matters for anyone running international gambling or gaming campaigns: non‑compliance can lead to ad removals, account penalties or certification issues. It reflects a wider trend of major platforms aligning ad rules with local laws and stepping up enforcement in regulated verticals. Legal, compliance and marketing teams should review geotargeting, ad copy and landing pages immediately to avoid disruptions.
Why should I read this
If you run, buy or place gambling ads — read this. Google just pulled the rug out on offline gambling ads in a chunk of countries, and failing to act could mean pulled campaigns or penalties. Short version: check your targeting and creatives now so you don’t get caught out.
Author note
Punchy: This is a clear, enforceable compliance shift from Google — not a minor tweak. If you operate across borders, treat this as urgent intelligence rather than optional reading.
Source
Source: https://www.gamblingnews.com/news/google-prohibits-offline-gambling-ads-in-35-countries/
