YouTube is introducing significant updates to its Community Guidelines to better address evolving trends in online gambling and gaming content. Beginning November 17, 2025, the platform will broaden its enforcement approach to include gambling activities tied to digital goods such as NFTs, in-game cosmetics, and video game skins.
The company stated that its goal is to align with industry standards and adapt to changes in the digital landscape. “Our policies are designed to evolve alongside the digital world. We’re making these updates to keep pace with new trends, like gambling with digital goods, and to more closely align our guidelines for mature content with industry standards,” YouTube explained.
Under the new rules, creators may not post or promote content that directs viewers to online gambling sites or apps not certified by Google. This extends the platform’s previous restrictions, which already prohibited links to unapproved real-money gambling platforms, to now include digital goods that carry monetary value.
New Guidelines for Social Casinos and Graphic Game Content
In addition to tightening its gambling rules, YouTube is also refining its approach to social casino content — games that mimic casino experiences without involving real-money wagering. Videos that depict or promote such sites will now be age-restricted, limiting viewership to adults aged 18 and older.
The platform is also expanding age restrictions on gaming videos containing graphic violence involving realistic human characters. This includes scenes that focus on torture or large-scale violence against non-combatants. When assessing content, YouTube will review several factors, including the duration of violent sequences, their prominence within the video, and whether the characters appear to be human-like.
The company clarified that it does not expect these adjustments to heavily affect most creators. “We expect most channels will experience little to no impact, but we know this is a lot of information, and we want to ensure you have time to adapt,” YouTube said.
What Creators Need to Know Before November 17
YouTube is giving creators time to review and modify their videos before the new rules take effect. Existing uploads that violate the updated policies may be removed or age-restricted but will not result in a strike under YouTube’s enforcement system. Creators can use the platform’s video editor tools—including trimming or blurring options—to update affected videos.
If a creator disagrees with an enforcement decision, YouTube confirmed that the appeal process remains available.
Google’s Broader Push for Compliance in Gambling-Related Content
The update follows broader policy adjustments from Google, YouTube’s parent company. Earlier this year, Google refined its Gambling and Games Policy, clarifying that sweepstakes casinos do not qualify as social casino games under its advertising standards.
Google’s gambling ad certification program allows promotions for licensed activities such as sports betting, online casinos, lotteries, and fantasy sports, but only in jurisdictions where gambling is legal. Advertisers must maintain active licenses and include disclaimers confirming that their services are intended for users of legal gambling age.
YouTube’s alignment with these certification requirements ensures that any creator promoting gambling-related content—including those tied to digital goods—must comply with Google’s licensing and approval standards.
Source:
“YouTube’s strengthened approach to online gambling and graphic violence in gaming”, support.google.com. Oct 28, 2025
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