New Google Settings Allow YouTube Users To Limit Gambling Ads

• Google adds a new setting that allows YouTube users to limit the amount of gambling and alcohol advertisements they receive.
• The new settings were brought on by user feedback.
• The new features will begin being rolled out in early 2021.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Google has just announced a new advanced settings option that allows YouTube users to limit the amount of gambling-related advertisements that receive.

This is an expanded upon setting. Initially, Google allowed users to block specific ads they weren’t interested in. Now users can limit entire categories.

This update was brought upon by user feedback. Google wants users to have more control over the amount of legal gambling and alcohol advertisements they receive.

Advanced Settings

While the new settings will start with YouTube in the US, the plan is for the features to be accessible on other Google platforms as well.

The main focus is alcohol, as many users complained about the amount of alcohol-related ads they were receiving. Gambling and alcohol are both synonymously touchy subjects for a good portion of internet users.

With the new features, however, Google gives the users the power to see the ads they wish to while limiting the ones they are not interested in. Google views this as a fair solution all around.

“We’ve heard feedback that some people would prefer to limit ads in certain categories like alcohol, so today, we’re launching a new control in Ad Settings, enabling people to see fewer alcohol ads, with gambling as an additional option,” said Debbie Weinstein, Vice President of YouTube and Video Global Solutions. “We’ve long had features like Mute this ad, where people can indicate which ads they’d rather not see. These controls live alongside our policies which determine when and where gambling and alcohol ads can be shown per local laws (e.g. age restrictions). This new feature is an extra step, putting choice in the user's hands and enabling you to further control your ad experience. With a click of a button, you can choose to see fewer gambling and alcohol ads. It is also reversible; should you change your mind, you can click to see such ads again.”

As real money gambling sites begin to launch in more states and gaming markets, the need for advertisements will surely increase. These new settings will be the ultimate compromise for those who are opposed to legal gambling and those who are for it.

While the official date has yet to be announced for the new settings, things are expected to roll out in early 2021.