Google has updated its gambling advertising policy and banned the promotion of horse racing bets by aggregators and affiliate partners.
As of December 1, a revised Google Ads rule has come into effect, fully prohibiting any online horse racing betting ads if they originate from CPA networks, tipster platforms, rating sites, or other third-party advertising partners. The update was published in Google’s official policy change log and took effect immediately upon release.
“All existing certifications for horse racing aggregators will be revoked, and applications for new certifications will no longer be accepted,” the policy states.
Under the new requirements, Google will block ads that direct users to review platforms, affiliate pages, or any other resources targeting users in the United States and promoting online bookmakers specializing in horse racing.
This forces affiliate marketers who relied on paid traffic to completely rethink their acquisition strategies: they are now prohibited from advertising horse racing bets across all Google formats (Search, Display, Video) when targeting the US market.
In the updated policy, Google clearly distinguishes between:
- licensed operators promoting their own products;
- affiliates and aggregators directing traffic through partner links.
Affiliate promo pages are now fully banned for the US market, while licensed operators can still run ads for their horse racing betting services.
However, they must:
- obtain Google’s gambling advertising certification;
- respect age restrictions;
- comply with responsible gambling requirements.
As a result, major bookmakers retain the ability to advertise but lose an important marketing layer — affiliates, who previously provided significant reach.
Although the company has not issued a detailed formal explanation, the update aligns with a two-year trend of Google steadily tightening control over gambling ads and reducing risks associated with referral models.
The new rule applies to all Google Ads campaigns targeting users in the United States.
Google’s gambling policy is defined country by country and is regularly updated. For now, the restriction applies only to the US market, but similar changes may appear in other regions in the future.
- Google Policy: Policy
