TLDR Google has added a dedicated prediction market section to its main Google Ads policy for the first time. Advertisers must hold all applicable local financial, commodity, and gaming licenses before running ads. Prediction market companies also need certification and approval from Google before any ads go live. In the US, operators need a Designated Contract Market license from the CFTC, according to Casino.org. The rules may block sports event contract ads in Nevada, a state that bans those contracts.
Google has added a dedicated section on prediction markets to its main advertising policy for the first time. The update came in a document released last week, according to Casino.org.
The new rules set out who can run prediction market ads on Google. Advertisers must be licensed and must get approval from Google before any ads go live.
Google has changed some of its prediction market ad guidelines in the past. But this is the first time the company has placed dedicated guidance in its core Google Ads policy document.
What Google’s New Policy Requires
Google said the rules reflect the “inherent complexities, speculative nature, and unique regulatory classification” of prediction market contracts. Prediction markets let people trade on the yes or no outcomes of future events.
Under the policy, advertisers must be licensed prediction market providers. They must hold “all applicable local financial, commodity, and/or gaming licenses,” including those needed for Google’s certification process.
All prediction market companies must also get “certification and approval from Google to run ads about these products.” Without that approval, ads cannot run.
The policy says the products and ads must follow all local laws, financial regulations, and industry standards. Advertisers are expected to research the rules in every location their ads target.
US Licenses and State Limits
Google does not