Why it happens
The account is not certified for gambling
The account is not certified for gambling
Without Google gambling certification, ads for betting, casinos, lotteries or social casino games are disapproved.
Targeting a country the certification does not cover
Certification and licensing are per country. Ads served to an uncovered country are disapproved there.
The landing page misses required information
Responsible gambling information and licensing details have to be on the destination.
Gambling terms in an unrelated ad
Words like "jackpot" or "bet" in a game or promo ad can trigger the policy without a gambling product behind it.
How to fix it, step by step
Find the exact policy topic
Go to Campaigns, then Ads, and hover the Disapproved or Eligible (limited) label in the Status column. It names the policy and the part of the ad it applies to. Tools, then Troubleshooting, then Policy manager lists every affected ad in one place.
Apply for gambling certification
Apply through Google's gambling certification form for each country you want to target, with your license for each.
Match targeting and the landing page
Limit location targeting to certified countries, keep age targeting off minors, and add responsible gambling information to the page.
Resubmit or appeal
Saving an edited ad resubmits it for review. If you think the call was wrong, or the change was made outside the ad, open Policy manager, choose Appeal and pick Dispute decision or Made changes to comply with policy. Each ad gets 3 appeals, and only decisions from the last 6 months can be appealed from the account.
Steps checked against Google Ads policy help: Gambling and games; Google Ads Help: Fix a disapproved ad or appeal a policy decision.
Sprites diagnoses this
Sprites diagnoses it
Sprites shows which ads the gambling policy caught and in which campaigns they run.
What Sprites does
- Reads the policy status of your ads and lists every one disapproved under gambling and games.
- Rewrites ad text that uses gambling terms in ads that are not about gambling, once you approve.
What it doesn't do
- It does not apply for gambling or social casino certification or hold your licenses.
- It does not edit your landing page or file appeals.
Questions
Do social casino games need certification?
Yes, a separate social casino certification, and they are only allowed in a listed set of countries.
Can one Google Ads account run gambling and social casino ads?
No. An account can be certified for one or the other. Running both needs separate accounts.
Why was my game app ad flagged as gambling?
Casino-style mechanics or words like bet and jackpot in the ad can trigger it. Rewrite the ad, or appeal if the game has no gambling element.
Can gambling violations suspend the account?
Yes. Social casino violations in particular lead to suspension on detection.
See where it breaks
Connect your accounts. Sprites reads them side by side and shows you exactly where the numbers split.