Google has updated its Gambling and Games advertising policy, introducing revised certification requirements for gambling operators, affiliates, aggregators and social casino businesses. The changes apply globally.
Under the updated requirements, advertisers must hold a valid local gambling licence for every jurisdiction they intend to target and provide evidence of that licence when applying for Google certification.
If the relationship between an advertiser and a licensee is unclear, the advertiser must submit documentation that clearly describes the relationship among the advertising entity, the gambling entity and the associated domain.
Google is also requiring gambling operator websites to display key regulatory and responsible gambling information prominently.
This includes an age warning, addiction and responsible gambling resources, terms and conditions, and the licence holder’s name and licence number. Websites must also include a privacy policy identifying the data controller.
The updated rules specifically address gambling-promoting content, including affiliates and aggregators.
Where an affiliate is not itself required to hold a gambling licence, it must link exclusively to gambling operators that are fully licensed and authorised in the relevant jurisdiction.
Their websites must also feature a prominent statement in their footer confirming that all outbound links lead exclusively to appropriately licensed gambling entities.
Advertisers are required to recertify immediately if there is a material change to information submitted in their original application. Google warned that failure to do so could result in account suspension.
Google's previous update to its Gambling and Games policy, which took effect on 10 August, expanded eligible gambling advertising to more than 35 countries, including Brazil.
On 23 March, Google updated its certification policy to require account "good standing" for gambling advertisers
