Google says it has blocked hundreds of millions of gambling-related ads for breaking its rules, noting that its safety teams have been working continuously to tackle the issue and protect users looking for safe offshore sportsbooks.
Do Not Pass
Google is tasked with removing billions of advertisements each year, but a fair portion of that prodigious number comes from the gambling sector. The company utilizes its Gemini AI system to identify so-called “bad ads” on the Google Ads platform—ads that violate its policies.
In 2025 alone, Google banned or restricted 8.3 billion ads overall. Within that, gambling comprised the eighth largest in the banned category, with more than 270 million gaming ads taken down, and the third largest in restricted advertisements, adding another 123.9 million being labeled as such.
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 analyze hundreds of billions of signals—including account age, behavioral 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.”
According to Google, its AI-spearheaded safe-sentry system detects nearly all of the threats before they appear on a landing page.
“Our systems caught over 99% of policy-violating ads before they ever served, and we’re continuing to evolve our defenses to stay ahead of even the most advanced schemes,” Sharma asserted.
International Problem
Google reported that it suspended 24.9 million advertiser accounts over the past year, including around 4 million tied to fraudulent activity. It also removed 602 million ads connected to scams, highlighting just how widespread abuse has become in the digital advertising space.
The company’s enforcement efforts extended beyond advertisers. Well over 480 million web pages faced action for policy violations, with gambling and gaming sites responsible for about 9.7 million of those breaches, making them one of the most heavily affected categories.
Even with these measures, regulators in several regions, including Brazil and parts of Europe, have stepped up scrutiny of tech platforms over concerns about illegal gambling promotions.
In Brazil, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security has asked Google and Apple to explain why certain betting apps—some reportedly lacking proper authorization from the country’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets—were available in their app stores.
Meanwhile, Google’s European division has indicated that stricter rules are on the way. Google Ireland is preparing to introduce stricter advertising rules beginning in March 2026, with tighter certification requirements for advertisers.
At the same time, regulators are taking a closer look at the role influencers and social media platforms might play in promoting illegal gambling services. Governments—especially across Southeast Asia—are also stepping up scrutiny of AI-driven advertising and wider digital safety standards.
Google added that it has become more responsive to user reports, acting on more than four times as many complaints as the previous year. At the same time, it says it has reduced wrongful advertiser suspensions by 80%, aiming to better balance enforcement with fairness to legitimate businesses, which ultimately helps bettors confidently navigate the market to engage in responsible sports betting and find safe offshore sportsbooks.
