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In the near future, Google is poised to make significant enhancements regarding the policies for gambling adverts on the platform by having even more rigorous requirements for being certified while trying to combat fraud, deceptive marketing strategies, and the exposure of illegal websites on the platform. These policies are expected to take effect on March 23 and can be considered the biggest change the tech firm has introduced regarding gambling and betting adverts in a while.
New Certification Requirements for Gambling Ads
According to an email that digital marketer Adriaan Dekker, through his LinkedIn account, shared from Google, Google will now not issue advertising certification for gambling websites that operate through free web services that depend upon subdomains of third parties, such as WordPress and Wix, meaning that gamblers now only work through websites that are owned entirely by them.
According to the new guidelines, the applicants have to own the core part of the website address. Furthermore, Google has also made it clear that websites not directly related to the business of betting should not be certified to run betting ads. These new steps have been initiated to ensure only the true businesses in the online betting arena gain access to the Google Ads network.
A Broader Push Against Illegal Gambling Ads
These changes signify a major change in Google’s gambling ad policy since it extended its policy on offline gambling advertisements to 35 countries. Besides these changes across nations, Google has announced modifications specific to various countries based on their regulations. For instance, Google has confirmed its plan to change its advertising policy in India based on its ban on real-money online games.
Google’s move is particularly timely given that other big names in tech have come under pressure to address allegations of facilitating the promotion of illegal gambling through their platforms. The reason, according to the policy update seeking to address the same, is to make sure that gambling websites are directly managed by advertisers and avoid various scams.
Industry Scrutiny and Criticism of Big Tech
This problem, however, cuts across other entities as well. Just last week, UK Gambling Commission Chief Executive Tim Miller accused Meta of failing to recognize ads from operators who sidestep the country’s self-exclusion platform, known as GamStop. While hosting a gaming conference in Barcelona, Spain, Mr. Miller commented: “Companies like Meta claim they do not tolerate advertising from illegal websites and remove it if notified. But that approach suggests they are unaware of these ads unless someone flags them. That is simply not true.”
He added: “I would be very surprised if Meta, as one of the largest technology companies in the world, were unable to proactively use its own keyword tools to prevent illegal gambling advertising.”
Previously, Meta has been accused of the same thing. A report from Reuters revealed that an investigation had shown that internally, the firm had projected that as much as 10%, $16 billion out of its total revenue for the year 2024, was likely to come from ads connected to scams and other prohibited products. Leaked internal documents cited in the report noted that the firm “failed to identify or stop a flood of ads” exposing billions of users to “fraudulent e-commerce and investment schemes, illegal online casinos, and the sale of prohibited medical products.”
In response, a Meta spokesperson told iGaming Expert that the report presented a “selective view that distorts Meta’s approach to fraud and scams.”
An Ongoing Challenge for Platforms
Although Google’s new criteria might go a step further to combat gambling advertisements from unregulated gaming sites, there is also a need to consider the issue from another point of view. For instance, a Google search on non-GamStop online casinos has a whole list of affiliate sites promoting such sites. Therefore, even with the updated criteria, it is evident that there is no easy way of policing online illegal gambling.
Source: SBC Noticias
