Google Blocked 270 Million Gambling Ads in 2025 – What Germany Gains From It

In its latest transparency report (published in early June 2026) Google said it blocked or removed 270.7 million gambling and gaming ads in 2025 for breaching its policies. According to iGamingToday.com that puts the category ninth among all banned ad categories, well ahead of areas such as tobacco (98m) or weapons (147m). Google removed 8.3 billion ads in total in 2025 – effectively one per person on the planet.

From the German perspective the numbers cut both ways. On one hand Google has clearly tightened enforcement of its German gambling policy (whitelist of GGL-licensed operators only, in force since August 2023). Industry insiders estimate 12–15% of the 270m blocked ads relate to the German-speaking market. On the other, in the same report Google admits 9.7 million policy violations on publisher pages – sites that run Google ads and themselves promote or link to illegal gambling.

In a 6 June 2026 statement the GGL welcomed the Google numbers cautiously but reminded that the authority itself issued 1,847 orders against unlawful advertising on search and display platforms in 2025, including 387 directed at Google Ireland. In 31 cases the GGL had to litigate at VG Halle before Google actually pulled the ads. The authority has therefore been demanding a direct interface to automate exchange of block lists, modelled on the Italian ADM system.

At European level the pressure is mounting. As iGamingToday has reported, in May 2026 Brazil's Ministry of Justice wrote to Google Brazil and Apple demanding formal steps against illegal bets advertising in app and search ecosystems. The European Commission is examining under the Digital Services Act whether Google and Meta sufficiently meet their duties on gambling advertising. A DSA risk assessment is expected in autumn 2026.

For German players the practical effect is twofold. First, search results for terms like 'best online casino', 'casino bonus' or 'slots without limit' have, since mid-2024, almost exclusively shown GGL-licensed operators as paid ads – a clear improvement on 2021/22 when Curaçao brands routinely held the top slots. Second, organic results (non-paid) still surface many black-market affiliates. Google's advertising filter does not reach those; only algorithmic quality signals and manual spam reports can demote them.

Affiliates like Lustich.de benefit from the tougher enforcement. We promote only GGL-licensed casinos and sportsbooks, have had zero Google Ads rejections in the past 18 months and remain clearly within compliance. Affiliate platforms promoting Curaçao or Anjouan casinos in German have been hit by mass account suspensions since mid-2024 – a growing business risk for the grey-zone affiliate scene.

Our bottom line: Google's 270-million headline sounds impressive but is no substitute for state oversight. As long as organic search and social platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Telegram keep pushing black-market content, pressure on the GGL to follow up with orders and fines stays high. For players the simple rule remains: check the GGL whitelist before any registration – a single click on gluecksspielbehoerde.de can save thousands of euros and legal trouble down the line.