YouTube will tighten its policies on illegal gambling content

Since the 2018 Supreme Court decision letting US states legalize gambling, related content has been hard to miss, whether it's odds tickers flashed during sports broadcasts, superstar athletes and celebrities hawking betting sites during commercial breaks or YouTube videos promising that you won't lose if you only use this gambling service. Although the first two won't change anytime soon, the latter could become scarcer, thanks to some upcoming changes Google announced on Tuesday.

YouTube said it will prohibit content (URLs, embedded links, logos or spoken references) that directs viewers to unapproved gambling sites or apps. The company defines authorized services as those that meet local legal requirements (a large number, post-2018) and are certified by Google Ads or reviewed by YouTube.

But even if a site or app meets those requirements, its content could still be removed if it promises guaranteed returns. Of course, if any truly did offer that, it would cease to be gambling and simply be a service handing out free money. (I believe the technical term is "horseshit.")

Meanwhile, even if content does meet YouTube's requirements, it could still be age-gated for users under 18. However, one gargantuan exception the company carved out of that part is online sports betting. Another omission is the depiction of in-person gambling, which would rule out a healthy swath of Hollywood TV and movies and even some music videos or news reports.

The changes will take effect on March 19. "We've strengthened our policies that prohibit content directing viewers to unapproved gambling websites or applications," YouTube spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle told CNN. "We will also begin age-restricting content that promotes online casinos."

Twitch made a similar move in 2022, banning streams featuring specific types of gambling content. When the Amazon-owned platform expanded its prohibition the following year, it said views for betting-related streams were down by 75 percent.

YouTube's changes aren't likely to stem the highly visible onslaught of gambling content in modern culture, which includes betting on esports (something younger users are more likely to engage in). Gambling companies and gaming trade organizations insist that legal gambling content pushes those who would be betting illegally into more regulated areas — a fair point in at least some cases.

On the other hand, Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), told CNN last year that his organization believes the risk of harmful gambling has risen by about 30 percent since SCOTUS and 38 states (plus Washington, DC) decided to open the floodgates. "I’m in the District of Columbia right now," Whyte said. "The mayor recently cut every single penny of public funding to prevent and treat gambling problems. So right where the [American Gaming Association] and the [NCPG] is located — the nation’s capital — they abolished all public funds for problem gambling."

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