YouTube announced on Tuesday that it will tighten its policies on content that promotes illegal gambling, with changes set to take effect on March 19.
The new measures target content that directs viewers—via URLs, embedded links, logos, or spoken references—to gambling sites and apps that have not been approved under local legal requirements.
According to YouTube, only gambling services that meet local regulations and have been certified by Google Ads or reviewed by YouTube will be considered authorized. Even if a site or app meets these standards, its content will be removed if it promises guaranteed returns—a practice YouTube deems incompatible with genuine gambling activity.
In addition to the prohibition on directing users to unapproved services, YouTube will also start age-restricting content that promotes online casinos. However, notable exceptions remain: online sports betting content and depictions of in-person gambling will not be subject to these new restrictions. This means that while flashy ads during sports broadcasts or celebrity endorsements of betting sites might persist, videos that explicitly promise foolproof wins could become much less common on the platform.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the proliferation of gambling-related content since the 2018 Supreme Court decision that allowed U.S. states to legalize gambling. Critics argue that the flood of such content has contributed to an increase in problem gambling—a risk that, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, has risen by roughly 30 percent since then.
YouTube’s decision mirrors similar actions taken by Twitch in 2022, when the streaming platform banned certain types of gambling content. Twitch later expanded its policy, resulting in a significant reduction in views for betting-related streams.
While gambling companies and industry groups contend that legal gambling content can help channel users toward regulated markets, advocates for consumer protection see the new restrictions as a necessary step to curb the harmful impacts of unregulated gambling practices.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. T...
The U.S. Coast Guard has called off its search for three people missing after a pontoon boat capsized near Alcatraz, leaving four people dead or presu...
Toronto experienced the worst air quality of any major city in the world on Wednesday as thick smoke from wildfires burning across north-western Ontar...
Britain will introduce a default overnight curfew on social media apps for 16 and 17-year-olds, expanding planned restrictions aimed at reducing the impact of excessive screen use on young people.
Australia will introduce new laws in parliament on Monday to strengthen its under-16 social media ban and give its internet regulator more power to pursue tech giants in court for non-compliance.
Google-owned YouTube has settled a lawsuit brought by a teenage plaintiff who claimed the platform harmed his mental health, avoiding what would have been the second California trial over allegations that social media companies fuel youth addiction.
A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Alphabet’s Google and Meta liable for $6m in damages in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit, a ruling that could influence thousands of similar cases.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
IBM has warned that a surge in spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure is weighing on its core business, in one of the clearest signs yet of how the AI boom is reshaping the technology sector.
The U.S. Coast Guard has called off its search for three people missing after a pontoon boat capsized near Alcatraz, leaving four people dead or presumed dead.
The chief engineer at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been killed in a drone strike near the facility, according to Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 16th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
More than 500 people are feared to have died after two boats carrying mostly Rohingya refugees are believed to have capsized off the coast of Myanmar, according to the United Nations.
The U.S. House of Representatives has rejected an amendment that sought to end U.S. security assistance to Israel. The vote however exposed growing divisions within the Democratic Party over Washington's support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment