YouTube Bans Creators From Talking About Some Gambling Sites

YouTube is going to curb the promotion of online gambling sites that have become increasingly popular in recent years. Under the new rules, creators will be prohibited from verbally referring to gambling services not approved by Google. Uploaders are also banned from displaying logos or links to them in videos. “We believe these changes are a necessary step in protecting our community, especially younger viewers,” the company said in a blog post. YouTube will only allow references to online gambling sites that “meet local requirements,” which suggests some wiggle room. It also excludes videos that show online sports betting or in-person gambling, so all the sponsorships for ESPN BET that pervade sports videos will remain unscathed; YouTube is really targeting the shadier online slot machine websites. Either way, all gambling-related content will be age-restricted to users 18 and older, and not accessible to logged out visitors. YouTube will begin using AI to try and proactively estima ... Read full article.