Google has updated its advertising policies on gambling and betting, with the aim of tightening sanctions on companies that fail to comply with the regulations.
The internet giant has announced that the new rules will come into force on September 14.
According to the guidelines, companies interested in advertising betting content must have a good track record of complying with advertising rules.
Likewise, administrator accounts that have repeatedly violated Google’s policies will not be able to apply for new online gambling and betting certificates, and any they already hold will be revoked.
The measures come amid growing concern over the role played by tech giants such as Google or Meta in promoting illegal betting platforms.
This Thursday (July 16), Google lost its legal battle against the Italian communications regulator (AGCOM) over a €750,000 fine imposed four years ago for breaching the ban on betting advertising in the country.
Last month, the Dutch online gambling association, VNLOK, also announced that it will sue Meta in the European Union for advertising platforms that illegally take gambling bets.
In statements to staging-latam.next.io/ during the ICE conference, held in Barcelona earlier this year, Simon Zinger, Head of Customer Service and legal advisor at Entain, called for more action against illegality. “Lawmakers and regulators must start taking action against social media companies,” he noted.
Current regulations state that advertisers must apply for Google certification in order to publish certain types of ads related to gambling and betting.
On the other hand, sites hosted on free platforms cannot obtain certification, and advertisers must have full control of the web domain.