Google has expanded its gambling advertising certification requirements worldwide, introducing stricter compliance standards for operators, marketing agencies and other businesses seeking to run gambling-related campaigns through Google Ads.
The updated rules took effect on 14 September 2026 and extend requirements previously introduced for selected gambling markets to every category covered by Google’s Gambling and Games policy. From that date, any account applying for certification must demonstrate what Google describes as good policy health before being approved to advertise.
The change follows an earlier phase introduced in March, when Google began applying stronger compliance checks to gambling advertisers. The company has now made those conditions standard across its gambling advertising framework.
Under Google’s broader policy, gambling advertisements are only permitted in approved jurisdictions and must comply with local laws. Advertisers must also provide responsible gambling information on their landing pages and must not target minors.
Manager accounts face greater compliance risk
The September update places particular attention on Manager Accounts, also known as MCCs, which are commonly used by agencies or companies managing multiple Google Ads accounts.
Google says MCCs associated with repeated revocations of online gambling certificates can lose their ability to apply for additional certifications. Accounts managed through those MCCs may also face action if they are repeatedly found violating gambling advertising rules while relying on an existing certificate.
Existing certifications can also be withdrawn when Google identifies persistent compliance problems connected to the manager account.
The measures mean agencies managing gambling clients will need to consider the compliance history of their wider account portfolio, rather than treating each advertiser as completely separate.
Google has also reinforced requirements governing the websites used in certification applications. Gambling advertisers must directly own and control the domain they submit, while websites operating through free subdomains are not eligible.
Domains with no genuine connection to gambling activities are also excluded, preventing advertisers from using unrelated websites solely to obtain certification.
Google separately updated its gambling certification process on 26 August, requiring new applicants across online gambling jurisdictions, certain non-casino gaming categories and social casino games to use revised application procedures. Advertisers are expected to ensure their licensing information and operating details remain current with the relevant regulators.
Google faces wider scrutiny over gambling content
The tighter controls arrive as Google continues to face regulatory and legal pressure over gambling advertising and content distributed through its platforms.
In July, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in a case involving Italy’s communications regulator AGCOM that Google could potentially be held responsible for gambling-related YouTube videos uploaded by a creator with whom the company had a commercial partnership.
The case stemmed from a €750,000 fine issued by AGCOM in 2022 over videos promoting online gambling in violation of Italian law. The CJEU found that the standard liability protections available to passive hosting providers may not apply where a platform takes a more active role through a commercial relationship with the content creator.
Google has meanwhile continued to highlight the scale of its advertising enforcement. According to its 2025 Ads Safety Report, the company blocked or removed more than 8.3 billion advertisements during the year and suspended 24.9 million advertiser accounts. Google said its systems prevented more than 99% of policy-violating ads from running before users saw them.
For gambling businesses, the latest certification changes add another layer of scrutiny before campaigns can enter Google’s advertising ecosystem. Operators and agencies must now maintain compliant accounts, verified licensing details and directly controlled domains while ensuring their wider advertising structure does not develop a record of repeated gambling-policy violations.