YouTube strengthens its regulations on online gambling
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5 Mar 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes The online gambling landscape is once again facing a wave of regulatory changes. YouTube, the world’s largest video-sharing platform, has announced a significant tightening of its rules regarding gambling-related content. This decision will take effect on March 19, 2025, and aims to limit advertising and the promotion of online gambling, particularly for websites that do not comply with local legal standards.
Strengthening restrictions to regulate online gambling
From now on, content creators will no longer be allowed to direct their audience to gambling websites that are not approved by Google. This ban applies to hyperlinks, verbal mentions, logos, and promotional images. YouTube aims to reduce the spread of content that encourages users to gamble on illegal casinos that do not comply with their country’s regulations.
In Belgium, a casino must have a license from the Gaming Commission to be considered legal and thus be approved by Google. If a video promotes a casino without this license, it will be banned from YouTube.
Additionally, videos promoting online casinos will be subject to age restrictions. Only adult users who are logged into their accounts will be able to access such content. This measure is intended to protect young and vulnerable users from the risks of excessive gambling.
Increasingly strict regulations
YouTube’s policy tightening aligns with a global trend toward stricter regulation of online gambling.
In recent years, several measures have been implemented in Belgium to enhance player protection. For example, in October 2022, the default deposit limit was reduced from €500 to €200 per week, and in July 2023, gambling advertisements were banned.
A challenge for rule enforcement
While YouTube has made its intention to tighten its policies clear, the question remains as to how these new rules will be enforced. One of the biggest challenges for the platform is ensuring effective moderation on a global scale. To achieve this, YouTube may rely on artificial intelligence to automatically detect violations of the new rules.
Many influencers and content creators currently monetize their content through affiliate partnerships with gambling websites. With these new restrictions, some creators will need to rethink their business model.
Impact on the online gambling industry
These new restrictions could have significant economic consequences for the global online gambling industry. Advertising on YouTube is a key customer acquisition channel for many gambling platforms. By banning references to unapproved sites and restricting access to gambling-related videos, YouTube could make it more difficult for operators relying on the platform to attract new players.