YouTube to tighten restrictions on gambling content, impacting creators

New Delhi: YouTube has announced a significant update to its content policies, set to take effect on March 19, 2025, that will restrict creators from mentioning or promoting certain online gambling sites. 

The move is part of the platform’s ongoing effort to protect its community, particularly younger viewers, from potentially harmful content.

Under the new guidelines, creators will be prohibited from verbally referencing, displaying logos of, or linking to gambling services that are not approved by Google, YouTube’s parent company. 

An "unapproved" gambling site is defined as one that does not meet local legal requirements or has not been reviewed and authorised by Google. 

Additionally, YouTube will age-restrict videos that promote online casinos, making them inaccessible to users under 18 or those not logged into an account, regardless of whether the sites mentioned are approved.

The policy builds on existing rules that already ban direct links to unapproved gambling sites. 

However, the expanded restrictions now include verbal mentions and visual displays, such as logos or images, closing what YouTube sees as loopholes in its previous framework. The platform also warned that content promising "guaranteed returns" from gambling—approved or not—may be removed entirely.

"We know this update may impact creators who focus on online gambling content like casino games and applications," YouTube stated in an official announcement, "but we believe these changes are a necessary step in protecting our community, especially younger viewers." 

The company emphasised its commitment to balancing creator freedom with viewer safety, particularly as online gambling grows in popularity worldwide.

For creators, the changes pose a challenge, particularly for those whose channels center on online gambling reviews, tutorials, or promotions. Compliance with the new rules will be essential to avoid content removal or channel penalties. 

Meanwhile, affiliates and aggregators can still promote legal, Google-approved gambling sites, provided they are registered as gambling advertisers and adhere to strict guidelines, such as ensuring the operators they promote hold active licenses in the markets they target.