Google, the world’s largest internet search provider, is removing social casino mobile applications from its sensitive wagering category, enabling app owners to modify adverts. The modification takes effect on December 4.
The change is an upgrade to Google’s “sensitive interest category,” which includes a variety of conventional kinds of gambling. Advertisements in that category cannot be altered.
“The gambling sensitive interest category will be updated to prohibit personalization for: ‘Gambling, including online and offline gambling; online gambling-related information; online non-casino games played for money or prizes; and online casino-based games, regardless of whether money is exchanged, unless you are using Google App campaigns to promote a social casino gaming app to app users,’” according to Google.
For gaming businesses to run Google advertisements, they must satisfy ten standards. These include varied state and regional limitations, avoiding targeting advertisements to minors, excluding related applications from Google’s Designed for Families program, and presenting information about responsible gambling.
Social Casinos Are a Different Species
Social casinos vary from traditional iGaming in that the majority of the offers in the category are free-to-play and do not offer real money prizes.
Some social casino operators have ran afoul of regulators because they tempted unsuspecting clients with in-app purchases redeemable for digital tokens that looked to be convertible to real money. That is not normally the case, and the resulting uncertainty has left several consumers feeling misled.
Social casinos may pitch themselves as kinder, gentler alternatives to traditional gambling, and although this is debatable, it is apparent that Google does not tolerate breaches of its customized advertisements policy.
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“Violations of the Personalized Ads policy will not result in immediate account suspension without prior notice.” “A warning will be issued at least 7 days before your account is suspended,” the business noted.
This warning cannot be disregarded by gaming firms since Google and Meta Platforms’ Facebook are the two major online advertising platforms.
Google shows signs of flexibility.
With gambling operators, especially social casinos, constituting a consistent and rising advertising market, businesses like Google want a larger share of that revenue. However, acquiring those ad revenues requires a delicate balancing act to ensure that applications and ad income do not reach the wrong audiences.
For its part, Google is trying to be flexible. Earlier this year, the internet search provider said it would permit daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators and lottery courier services to run ads across more than 30 states and Washington, DC.
Only licensed gaming companies are allowed to advertise on the platform.
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