Google blocks 270 million gambling ads in 2025 as regulatory pressure mounts

Google blocked more than 270 million gambling and gaming advertisements in 2025, part of a broader crackdown that saw over 8.3 billion ads taken down globally, as regulators intensify scrutiny of illegal betting content online.

The figures, published in Google’s latest Ads Safety Report, show that gambling was the eighth largest category of banned ads, with 270.7 million removed, and the third largest category for restricted ads at 123.9 million.

Overall, the company said more than 99% of policy-violating ads were stopped before being served, as it ramped up enforcement using artificial intelligence tools, including its Gemini system.

Keerat Sharma, vice president and general manager of ads privacy and safety at Google, said: “Our teams have long used advanced AI to identify and stop scammers, and Gemini takes that work even further. Our models analyse hundreds of billions of signals — including account age, behavioural cues and campaign patterns — to stop threats before they reach people.”

“Unlike earlier keyword-based systems, our latest models better understand intent, helping us spot malicious content and preemptively block it, even when it’s designed to evade detection.”

Sharma added that Gemini has “dramatically improved our ability to detect and stop bad ads.”

“Our systems caught over 99% of policy-violating ads before they ever served, and we’re continuing to evolve our defences to stay ahead of even the most advanced schemes,” he said.

Google said it suspended 24.9 million advertiser accounts during the year, including 4 million linked to scams, and removed 602 million scam-related ads, underscoring the scale of fraud across digital advertising.

Enforcement also extended to publisher content, with action taken on more than 480 million web pages. Gambling and gaming publishers accounted for 9.7 million policy violations by page volume, ranking among the top sectors.

Despite these efforts, regulators across multiple jurisdictions, including Brazil and parts of Europe, have increased pressure on technology platforms over the spread of illegal gambling advertising.

In Brazil, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security has requested clarifications from Google and Apple regarding the availability of illegal betting applications on their app stores, stating that some were not licensed by the country’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets.

Google’s European arm has already signalled tighter controls, with Google Ireland planning to strengthen advertising policies from March 2026, including stricter certification requirements for advertisers.

Authorities have also raised concerns about the role of influencers and social media platforms in promoting illegal gambling products, as governments, including in Southeast Asia, move to tighten oversight of AI-driven advertising and digital safety.

Google said it has improved responsiveness to user feedback, taking action on more than four times as many reports compared with the previous year, while reducing incorrect advertiser suspensions by 80%, as it seeks to balance enforcement with support for legitimate businesses.