Google Ads Expands Gambling Certification Rules on September 14
Google announced the effective date in its July certification eligibility update. Requirements introduced earlier this year will now apply across the full Gambling and games policy rather than a narrower set of categories.
That matters beyond operators applying for a certificate directly. Google’s policy also covers gambling-promoting content, including affiliate and comparison sites in markets where that type of advertising is permitted.
MCC History Can Affect New Certificates
Under the September 14 rules, accounts seeking certification must demonstrate what Google calls good policy health. Manager accounts are part of that assessment. An MCC with repeated online gambling certificate revocations can lose eligibility to apply for new online gambling certificates. The same can happen where accounts managed through the MCC are repeatedly flagged for gambling-policy violations while using a certificate. Existing certifications may also be revoked.
The change creates an account-level issue for agencies and other businesses running multiple gambling advertisers through the same manager structure. Problems are no longer limited to a single application if the broader MCC develops a repeated record of certificate revocations or policy violations.
Google also repeats three checks around the domain used for certification:
None of those checks starts on September 14. Google says they were already part of the certification application. What changes now is their place in the broader eligibility framework that will cover all Gambling and games categories.
Affiliates Got a Separate August Update
Affiliates had another policy change shortly before the September rollout. On August 26, Google updated its certification standards for gambling aggregators and affiliate sites that do not need a gambling license of their own.
For those businesses, the advertised site can point only to operators licensed and authorized in the country covered by the ad. Google also requires a prominent footer notice stating that its gambling links lead exclusively to locally licensed and authorized operators.
That creates a fairly concrete check for affiliate sites. An advertiser cannot use one certified domain as a generic route to operators that fall outside the licensing rules of the target market.
Certification Stays Country-Specific
The Gambling and games policy still treats certification as a market-by-market process. Google requires a separate application for each country, and material changes to information supplied in an application can require recertification.
From September 14, affiliates and agencies therefore have two layers to watch: the compliance record behind the account structure and the licensing setup of the destination site itself.