Google now treats prediction markets as a standalone category in its main ads policy, placing it alongside gambling and financial services, while adding Connecticut to the list of states where those ads are prohibited.
Both changes landed last week. One formalizes rules that have governed prediction market advertising since January, while the other shrinks the map of where operators can advertise.
Prediction markets have lost the majority of court rulings in their fights with states seeking to regulate the platforms as gambling under state law. The exchanges are federally regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
All five states now excluded by Google have tried to keep prediction markets out.
Prediction markets rules formalized
Google has allowed prediction market advertising since January. As Search Engine Roundtable first reported, those rules now have their own section on Google’s main Google Ads Policy page, alongside categories such as gambling and financial products and services.
The policy language has not changed since January. Citing the “inherent complexities, speculative nature, and unique regulatory classification” of prediction markets, Google requires advertisers to:
- Hold all applicable local financial, commodity and gaming licenses, including those required for Google’s certification process.
- Comply with all local laws, financial regulations, industry standards and Google Ads policies, with advertisers responsible for researching the rules in every location they target.
- Target only locations eligible for certification under the policy.
- Receive certification and approval from Google before running ads.
Google also prohibits ads for binary options and fixed-return contracts, online gambling, and informational or educational sites that provide trading signals, including affiliate sites and broker reviews.
Who can advertise and where
The United States is the only approved target location for prediction market ads, but five states are excluded:
- Connecticut
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
Connecticut’s ban took effect Oct. 7. Nevada was the first state excluded, followed by Ohio in June and Michigan and New York in July.
