New Google Ads Policy: Online Gambling advertisements only for licensed services in Germany

Google has announced significant changes to its gambling advertising policy in the German market. Taking effect from 25 September 2024, the update introduces stricter requirements for gaming operators and brokers (gaming affiliates) seeking to advertise on Google’s platforms in Germany.

Specifically, only operators and intermediaries licensed by Germany's gambling regulator GGL (Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder) will be eligible to apply for advertising certification for gambling products, as outlined in Google’s gambling and games policy. 

This policy revision aims to align Google’s advertising practices with German regulations and ensure compliance with local gaming laws, meaning the State Treaty on Gambling, which is effective since mid of 2021.
The new rules represent a significant shift in Google’s approach to gambling advertisements in the German market. Previously, a broader range of gambling-related services could potentially advertise on Google’s platforms. However, with the new policy, applications from advertisers of online gaming services who do not meet the GGL licensing criteria will no longer be accepted and existing certifications for these types of services will be revoked on September 25, 2024, preventing them from running gaming ads targeted to Germany.

Violation of Google's new rules would lead to an immediate suspension of the advertiser's Google Ads account. This extends to services offering gaming aggregation, such as affiliate websites that link to multiple offers from different operators. 

It remains to be seen to what extent the new rules will help protect the legal market and discourage players from opting for illegal offerings, which are still popular on the German market, due to a large number of restrictions implemented by the new State Treaty on Gambling 2021 (Glücksspielstaatsvertrag).