Under current requirements, Google allows online gambling ads in the Masthead format on YouTube and Google TV, but only for advertisers subject to mandatory state or national gambling registration. This follows from the Masthead format requirements in Google's ad policy help center.
The general rule for the format remains a ban: gambling-related material, including offline gambling, online gambling, non-casino online games and social casinos, is not allowed. There are two exceptions. The first covers online gambling that complies with the Gambling and games policy, which explicitly excludes advertisers of promotional content without mandatory registration. The second covers daily fantasy sports targeting Canada and the US, also subject to that policy.
The advertiser's status is checked, not the content of the creative. Two advertisers promoting the same brand can end up on opposite sides of the line. The Gambling and games policy classifies aggregator and affiliate sites that provide information about or compare gambling services as promotional content. Most such sites have no operator license of their own, so a licensed operator gets access to the slot, while an affiliate does not under this wording.
For Google TV, the requirements have a separate section: it lists sports betting and daily fantasy sports targeting Canada and the US as gambling exceptions, subject to the same policy. The general online gambling caveat is not repeated in this section.
The document has no country breakdown for gambling Masthead and does not say when this wording takes effect. Country restrictions are set by the Gambling and games policy, for which Google maintains a list of certifiable countries.
Affiliates who need premium video inventory should check their format against these requirements before planning budgets. The Masthead format is closed to them without gambling registration.
