ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Gambling and games
Gambling ads need Google certification for each country they target, and online gambling is allowed only in listed countries that meet their criteria. Operators need a current license. Destination sites need an age warning, addiction resources and the licensee details. Social casino games need a legal-gambling-age disclaimer and no real-money claims. Remove or retarget the ad where you lack either.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- Ads without the required certification are disapproved and won't run. Google may also stop the account spending.
- How serious
- Higher than a warning. Serving without valid certification can stop the account from running ads, and repeated or egregious violations can lead to suspension.
- How long
- Google says most reviews take about one business day.
What it means
The policy covers online gambling, offline gambling where it is allowed, and social casino games. It is country by country: an advertiser can target only approved countries, and only the types of gambling a country's certification criteria cover.
Social casinos have their own requirements. The page asks for a disclaimer that the games are only for users over legal gambling age, a statement that the games offer no real-money gambling or real-world prizes, disclosure of any in-app purchases, and no real-money gambling brand logos. For social casino violations, Google says it suspends the account upon detection and without prior warning.
What actually triggers it
Targeting a country without certification
An ad that targets a country where the advertiser is not certified breaks the rule. The fix is in the location settings, so check them before the copy.
A destination site missing the required details
Destination sites need an age warning, addiction resources, terms and conditions, and a footer with the licensee name, license number and a privacy policy.
An affiliate or aggregator linking to unlicensed operators
Affiliate and aggregator sites may link only to fully licensed gambling entities in the targeted region.
A social casino ad that implies real money
A social casino ad must state that the games offer no real-money gambling or real-world prizes, and must not use the logos of real-money gambling brands.
Fix it in this order
- Open Ads & assets from the Campaigns menu, and list every gambling ad that shows this policy.
- Apply for Google certification in each country you want to target, using the online gambling or social casino application form in the Google Ads Help Center. Submit a separate application for each country.
- Edit the location targeting so it includes only countries where you hold certification, or target a different location.
- Edit the ad or landing page so the destination meets the requirements above, then select Save. Remove the ad if you cannot fix the violation.
Apply for certification, then request an ad review. Google says most reviews take about one business day.
When to appeal
Appeal when the ad does meet the rules and the disapproval is an error, and say what you have checked. Google says to appeal from the account.
An appeal does not stand in for certification. Certification is required before the ad runs, so apply first.
Often confused with
The rules on this page are what the certificate attests to. This is the rule set. The certificate message is the step that is missing, so fix the rules first and then apply.
Prediction market ads have their own regime, US only and for licensed providers in listed locations. Online gambling is named as prohibited for those ads unless the activity is a regulated prediction market.