Google extends personalised YouTube ads to prediction markets in the US, UK and Canada

Google has added prediction markets to its sensitive-category targeting rules for personalised gambling ads on YouTube in the US, UK and Canada. For operators, the headline is not the targeting change itself; it is the fact that Google is still layering that change on top of separate licensing, location and certification requirements.

1. As of October 30, personalised gambling advertising on YouTube can now cover prediction markets in the US, UK and Canada, but only within Google’s sensitive-category framework. That means advertisers can use Google-defined audiences based on interests, demographics and location, while still being blocked from building their own customer groups for these campaigns.
2. Google says businesses advertising prediction-market products must hold “all applicable local financial, commodity, and/or gaming licences.” In practice, the approved locations currently include parts of the US, while Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Ohio are excluded. The UK and Canada are not included in the list.
3. In the US, Google says the rules cover qualifying exchanges authorised by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and brokerages authorised by the National Futures Association (NFA), provided they offer access to specified exchange-listed products. Google also prohibits ads for binary options that offer a fixed payout or no payout depending on movements in a financial asset’s price.
4. The broader gambling policy still applies: advertisers must obtain certification, comply with local licensing rules, provide responsible gambling information and not target minors. Users under 18 remain ineligible for personalised ads, and operators still need to meet separate licensing and location requirements to advertise.
5. Google also updated its gambling advertising certification process on September 14, extending the “good policy health” checks it began applying in selected gambling markets in March 2026 to every category covered by the Gambling and Games Policy.