Google Expands Gambling Advertising Certification Worldwide by Requiring Demonstrated Compliance History
Google now requires demonstrated good policy health and compliance history for gambling ad certification in all categories effective September 14, 2026. MCCs risk losing eligibility after repeated violations. A full ban on Croatia-targeted online gambling ads begins October 7 amid EU scrutiny and 270.7 million ads blocked in 2025.
SCCG Take — Operators must maintain clean records at both account and MCC level to preserve Google ad access as platforms respond to European regulatory pressure with stricter gates.
Google has expanded its gambling and games advertising certification requirements across all policy categories. The updates make account compliance history a condition of approval. Changes took effect on September 14, 2026.
Businesses must demonstrate good policy health. Direct ownership and control of the submitted domain is mandatory. Free subdomains and unrelated standalone domains are ineligible.
Manager Accounts Face Linked Compliance Consequences
New rules apply to Manager Accounts, or MCCs, used by agencies and third parties. Repeated certificate revocations or recurring violations under an MCC can block new applications and trigger revocation of existing certifications.
“Manager Accounts (MCCs) with repeated online gambling certificate revocations, or accounts under MCC management that are repeatedly flagged for gambling violations while using a certificate, will forfeit eligibility to apply for any new online gambling certificates and may have existing certifications revoked,” Google stated.
Advertisers must therefore evaluate the full compliance record tied to their chosen account structure. The English-language policy text governs enforcement.
Croatia Prohibition and European Oversight Pressures
All promotion of online gambling content targeting Croatia will be prohibited from October 7, 2026. Existing certifications will be revoked and new applications rejected. Google decided the change independently of local restrictions introduced in Croatia during 2026.
The certification expansion coincides with continued European examination of platform responsibilities. In July the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled Google could not automatically claim intermediary liability protection in an Italian case. Authorities imposed a €750,000 fine over content breaching the Dignity Decree.
Google’s 2025 Ads Safety Report recorded 270.7 million blocked or removed gambling and gaming advertisements plus 123.9 million restricted. According to reporting by SBC News these steps strengthen pre-approval assessment.
The tightened rules raise the sustained compliance threshold required for continued access to Google advertising channels.
Reporting: Casino News Daily
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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