Google tightens certification requirements for gambling advertisers

Google Ads has announced an update to its gambling certification policy, which will take effect on 23 March 2026.

Master accounts (MCCs) may lose the ability to apply for any new online gambling certificates, and their existing certificates may be revoked if:

• A significant number of gambling certificates have been revoked for accounts under their management.
• A significant number of managed accounts have violated the gambling policy while using a valid certificate.

As part of the certification process, applications for websites hosted on free hosting services or using subdomains owned by third-party platforms will be rejected. Such resources include, for example, addresses based on wordpress.com, wixsite.com, or blogspot.com.

Certification will also be unavailable for websites whose content is not directly related to gambling and whose second-level domain is not fully owned and controlled by the advertiser.

• Learn more: https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16786233