YouTube is tightening its policy on gambling content. The platform has announced that it will soon ban authors from verbally mentioning gambling services not approved by Google, as well as displaying their logos and links in videos.
The new rules, which will come into effect on March 19, may also impose age restrictions on online gambling videos. This means that viewers under the age of 18 or those who are not registered on YouTube will not be able to watch these videos. YouTube states that this rule does not apply to videos that show online sports betting and people gambling in person.
YouTube also notes that it can remove content that “promises guaranteed profits” regardless of whether the respective gambling service has been approved by Google or not. “We know that this update may affect creators that focus on online gambling, such as casino games and apps, but we believe these changes are a necessary step to protect our community, especially young viewers,” YouTube said in a statement.
Earlier, the company banned gambling ads for its advertising slot in the header of the site in 2021, and Twitch started limiting streams that show gambling sites with slot machines, roulette, or dice games in 2022. Last month, Google also announced that it will start testing a machine learning model to estimate the age of a user, which will allow its platforms, including YouTube, to provide “age-appropriate experiences.”
