What impact will Google's new gambling advertising policy have?

Google amended the ‘Gambling and other games’ advertising policy in Germany on 25 September 2024. Since this date, only licensed online casinos with a German licence have been able to advertise via Google Ads. In a recent press release, the Joint Gambling Authority of the German federal states (GGL) states that the new advertising guidelines are already having an effect.

The German gambling authority is extremely pleased about the declining number of adverts for illegal online gambling providers via Google Ads. Back in mid-September, we at GambleJoe reported that Google was banning illegal gambling providers from advertising in Germany. In order to achieve this goal, Google has adapted its German advertising policy ‘Gambling and other games’ accordingly.

No more illegal online casinos available via Google Ads

Until a few weeks ago, anyone searching Google for certain gambling-related search terms or specifically for certain online casinos was presented with a large number of adverts from Google Ads. Most of these were illegal gambling offers that did not have a German licence. At the beginning of the year, we at GambleJoe tried to answer the question of why players are active in online casinos without a licence.

Following the update of the gambling advertising guidelines in Germany, adverts for illegal online gambling providers have no longer been displayed via Google Ads since the end of September. Comparison sites are also excluded from advertising via Google Ads, as the search engine giant cannot easily determine whether only online casinos with a German licence are being advertised or whether illegal online casinos are also being advertised.

The advertising policy was adapted by Google after the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) proactively approached the search engine giant back in 2023. Following constructive dialogue over a long period of time, the updated advertising guidelines have now been introduced. The aim on both sides was to combat illegal gambling in Germany more effectively.

GGL board member Ronald Benter is satisfied with the developments in this area to date:

‘In our view, the amended advertising guidelines are currently having a clear effect’.

Just a few weeks ago, we at GambleJoe presented 5 reasons in favour of playing in online casinos.

GGL also wants to ban illegal offers from regular search engine results

Now that the GGL has successfully banned adverts for illegal gambling offers from Google, the next challenge is already on the horizon. In future, the GGL also wants to restrict advertising opportunities for illegal gambling providers in the area of search engine optimisation (SEO). The aim is to ban illegal providers from the search engine results as completely as possible. To date, illegal online casinos have still managed to be found on Google via link marketing and other optimisation strategies.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/google-www-online-suche-suche-485611/