Google advertising policy update: social casinos without certification

Google clarified the rules in the section «Gambling and games» and directly indicated: swipstake casinos are not social casinos and are not subject to certification for advertising in Google Ads. For the market, this means closing the gray zone, where projects with «virtual coins» tried to position themselves as entertainment without cash prizes.

What happened

A direct explanation appeared in the Google Ads help: «Examples of games that are not social casinos: sweepstake casinos». Thus, Google separated simulators without the value of winning from mechanics, where the real world's reward is directly or indirectly present. For advertisers, this is equivalent to a ban on certification and, as a result, on placing ads in this category.

How will this affect advertising and moderation

• Current campaigns from the swipstake casino will be rejected at the policy level or stopped by moderation.
• Certification under «social casinos» is not available to such projects; attempts to pass it will lead to refusal.
• Account strategy: if the brand has both «social casino» and «online gambling», separate accounts and strict segmentation of creatives/landing pages will be required.
• Content partners/affiliates risk deviations if the materials push to participate in prohibited mechanics.

How to adapt to the new rules

The task is to bring the product and communications in line with the literal reading of policies and local laws. Short checklist for teams:

1. Product audit: remove any scenarios of winning «sue value», exchange coins/points for money or prizes. If the rewards remain — it is no longer «social casino».
2. Audit of creatives and landing pages: exclude promises of winning/withdrawal of funds, add disclamers that the game does not offer real prizes and does not promote gambling.
3. Account hygiene: divide campaigns and feeds by product types; do not mix social simulators and «money» mechanics.
4. Legal audit: synchronize with the local standard (by targeting countries). In controversial cases — get a lawyer's conclusion before launch.
5. Pre-flight policy check: enter a mandatory check of ads and landing pages for policy compliance before uploading to Ads.

What does this mean for business

Google continues to «clean» areas where the user may be misled. For performance marketing, the conclusion is simple: compliance is not a stage of the «last mile», but part of the product design. If the game project is based on the motivation «play —get value», then it falls under the mode of «online gambling» with all the consequences: licenses, allowed countries, separate certification, strict restrictions on formats and targeting.

A brief analysis of typical situations

• There is a mechanic of swipstaks → advertising as a «social casino» is impossible. Either remove real rewards, or follow the track of «online gambling» where it is allowed at all.
• Media/affiliate site → editorial reviews and news are allowed, but any appeals/promo codes leading to prohibited mechanics for Google advertising will lead to deviations.
• Hybrid model («both fan coins and convertible prizes») → high probability of requalification of content by moderation. Segment products and promotion tracks.

Sources

• Officially: Google Ads Help — Gambling and games (in the section «Social casino games» there is a line «Examples of games that are not social casino games: Sweepstake casinos»).
• Media: CasinoBeats — Google reclassifies sweepstakes casinos.
• Media: Covers — Sweepstakes casinos lose Google Ads certification.

Note: in disputed jurisdictions, the final interpretation of the policy is based on the local law of the targeting country. English version of Google help — canonical.