YouTube Tightens the Rope on Gambling & Video Game Content

YouTube is enforcing a stricter gambling content policy to go along with content displaying violence in video games. What started as banning links to uncertified sites turns into a full-blown age-restriction on gambling and video game content.

Both types of video content will have to abide by a new set of rules that include limited promotion of betting and directing viewers towards crypto gambling platforms, game skin shopping stores, or even NFTs.

And not just new videos. Youtube is going over the old stuff and will put them behind age brackets if found that they violate any of the new rules. Creators can edit their existing content and are in fact invited to do so. That said, the company will not issue strikes against creators whose videos will have been uploaded before November 17.

The Upcoming Changes

The new update, effective November 17, marks a significant step-up in how the platform treats gambling-related material. Calling a spade a spade, YouTube wants to prevent the blurring of lines between gaming, digital goods, and wagering, which, the company feels, allowed some content creators to misrepresent their material and market it as educational where, in fact, it has been promotional all along.

Under the forthcoming framework and in a typical digital enforcement fashion, YouTube will go beyond simply banning direct links to unapproved betting sites. The new rules will cover:

• Promotions of gambling via digital goods such as video-game skins, cosmetics or NFTs that can be wagered.
• Social casino-type content (slots, roulette, casino-style simulations), even when real-money gambling is not involved: these videos will be automatically age-restricted and, in some cases, removed.
• Any content directing viewers to gambling platforms that do not comply with local legal requirements or that lack certification from Google LLC/YouTube. This includes visual displays (logos), embedded links, verbal references and more.

Another aim of the upcoming changes is to reduce exposure of minors and casual viewers to content that mimics or promotes gambling behaviour. Rather than exclude it, the problematic content will be hidden behind age-gates, with the right to appeal within the creator’s power.

What Changed Back in March

The new update comes fresh off the heels of an earlier one rolled out this year. On March 19, the platform instituted stricter rules targeting gambling-related content. Among other things, the March update introduced:

• A prohibition on creators using URLs, logos, embedded links or verbal references pointing viewers to unapproved gambling sites or apps.
• Age-restriction measures: videos that promote or depict online casino sites or apps may be blocked for users under 18 or for those not signed in.
• Removal of content promising ‘guaranteed winnings’ or loss-recovery schemes from gambling platform promotions, even if the underlying site is approved.

That March update established the foundation for the broader November changes. Together, they signal YouTube’s acknowledgment that gambling-style content is no longer just about traditional betting but also the emergent crossover with gaming and digital assets.

What Now?

YouTube’s decision to tighten the rope around it did not come out of the blue. It comes at a time when the boundaries between gaming and digital goods are receiving an additional level of regulatory scrutiny. Loot boxes, skin marketplaces, and social casino apps are popping up everywhere and family-friendly platforms like YouTube are under pressure to clarify how they treat such content.

No doubt that the creators will feel the sting of the new update. Those whose content centres on casino-style games, loot boxes, skins marketplaces or NFTs with gambling features will have to rethink their business strategy, The new update means closer scrutiny and the need to re-assess how they frame their content.