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Google has updated its gambling advertising policy to allow more personalisation in the Indian market, ahead of a broader overhaul due to take effect next month.
Operators of daily fantasy sport and rummy apps will be allowed to be personalised for the first time in upcoming changes to the tech giant’s advertising policy.
These two huge and legal segments of India’s online skill games sector will be allowed to use the personal data of Google users to tailor their ads to consumers.
Available data includes a person’s interests based on the sites they visit or apps they use.
Personalised ads will still be banned for all forms of gambling and gambling-related information.
Skill games operators within India have recently agreed a project with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) in an attempt to crack down on illegal marketing.
A memorandum of understanding signed by ASCI ad trade group the All India Gaming Federation came into force in January and creates a monitoring unit that will report illegal gambling ads to the authorities.
The changes to India’s Google ad rules take effect from March 14, ahead of a broader overhaul of the search giant’s policy on gambling marketing.
From April 14, a new version of the company’s gambling advertising rules will take effect.
Key changes largely revolve around clarifying specific types of advertising that are not allowed, in particular as it concerns affiliates.
According to Google, aggregator or affiliate sites that provide information about, or are used to compare, gambling operators are allowed to advertise on Google Apps - a category which includes its dominant search engine.
However “promotion of online gambling promoting content other than aggregator or affiliate sites that provide information about, or a comparison of, other gambling services is not allowed".
There is also a specific ban on for-money Mahjong advertising in the Asia-Pacific region.
Social casino games continue to be permitted to advertise on Google platforms but only “where there is no opportunity to win something of value”.
Social casino ads also cannot be used as a gateway to real money gambling, even if there is no mention of a sister gambling brand in the actual advert.
Social ads that lead to “gambling-related advertisements that appear on your social casino games destination” are prohibited.
In addition to Google’s global rules, they have a massive and varied set of extra conditions for various jurisdictions with their own advertising regulations.
