Gambling and sports betting ads are restricted on Meta and restricted on Google. Ads that promote online gambling and gaming are only allowed once an ad account has obtained authorization. The phrases most likely to cause trouble include "risk-free bet", "free bet", "no risk".
Restricted needs authorization
Sources: transparency.meta.com
Restricted needs certification
Sources: support.google.com
21 phrases that often lead to rejection, limited delivery or regulator action. High means the phrase or claim is named in a policy or ruling. Medium means it's our reading of a rule.
| Phrase | Why it's risky | Rule or source | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| risk-free bet / risk free | Cannot be called risk-free if the player must risk their own money | AGCO 2.06 · NY sports wagering regs · MA 205 CMR 256 · AGA code (Mar 2023) · Ohio fine vs DraftKings agco.ca | High |
| free bet / free play (with deposit or wager conditions) | Cannot be called 'free' if the player must risk their own money. NY: the stake required must appear in the same font size as the bonus | AGCO 2.06 · NY regs · MA 205 CMR 256 gaming.ny.gov | High |
| no risk / free of risk / cost free | Implies betting is risk-free | NY regs · MA 205 CMR 256 massgaming.com | High |
| can't lose / guaranteed win / sure thing / lock | Presents winning as the probable outcome. Socially irresponsible | AGCO 2.04 · CAP 16.3.1 agco.ca | High |
| easy money / quit your job / pay your bills / get out of debt | Presents gambling as a solution to money worries or an alternative to work | CAP 16.3.4 · AGCO 2.04 asa.org.uk | High |
| win back your losses / chase | Encourages chasing losses | AGCO 2.04 agco.ca | High |
| beat the bookies / outsmart the casino (for chance games) | Suggests skill changes the outcome where it does not | AGCO 2.04 agco.ca | High |
| the longer you play the more you win | Implies the chance of winning rises with play | AGCO 2.04 agco.ca | High |
| escape / forget your problems / beat the boredom | Presents gambling as an escape | CAP 16.3.3 · AGCO 2.04 asa.org.uk | High |
| be a winner / respect / prove yourself / boss | Says gambling improves status, self-esteem or control | CAP 16.3.6 asa.org.uk | High |
| don't be the only one not betting / everyone's in | Peer pressure, or putting down people who don't bet | CAP 16.3.7 asa.org.uk | High |
| sexy / attract / impress her | Links gambling to seduction or attractiveness | CAP 16.3.8 · AGCO 2.04 asa.org.uk | High |
| man up / tough / fearless / all-in no regrets | Toughness, resilience or recklessness | CAP 16.3.9 asa.org.uk | High |
| rite of passage / turned 18? place your first bet | Presents gambling as a rite of passage | CAP 16.3.10 asa.org.uk | High |
| lucky charm / feng shui / lucky number (cultural luck) | Exploits cultural beliefs about luck | CAP 16.3.15 asa.org.uk | High |
| bet at work / on your lunch break at the office | Shows or condones gambling at work | CAP 16.3.17 asa.org.uk | High |
| named star footballer / influencer / Love Island cast / video game references | Strong appeal to under-18s | CAP 16.3.12 asa.org.uk | High |
| bonus / sign-up offer / deposit match (in Ontario public ads) | Public advertising of inducements is banned in Ontario. Allowed only on the operator's site or by opted-in direct marketing | AGCO 2.05 agco.ca | High |
| campus / college / student / university partner | No college media or campus ads, and no college athlete endorsements | NY regs · MA 205 CMR 256 · AGA code · Google DFS gaming.ny.gov | High |
| real money / win cash (in social casino ads) | Social casino ads must state there is no real-money gambling and no prizes of value | Google social casino certification support.google.com | High |
| 50x / high wagering bonus (GB) | From 2026-01-19 wagering requirements are capped at 10x and mixed-product offers are banned | UKGC LCCP SR 5.1.1 gamblingcommission.gov.uk | High |
Before and after examples. Swap the bracketed parts for your real details.
Risk-free first bet up to $1,000!
New customers: if your first bet loses, get up to $1,000 in bonus bets. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. 21+. Terms apply. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Free $200 just for signing up!
Bet $5, get $200 in bonus bets (same font size for both amounts). Terms apply. 21+.
Tired of your 9-to-5? Win big tonight.
Tonight's match: see the odds. Set a deposit limit before you play.
[Star striker photo] Back him to score - can't miss!
[Odds graphic with no player image] Anytime goalscorer markets now open. 18+ BeGambleAware.
Real casino thrills - win big jackpots! (social casino)
Spin for fun with free coins. No real-money gambling and no prizes of real value. 18+ only. Contains in-app purchases.
Google bans lottery promotion by affiliates and aggregators. Lotteries may be promoted only by official entities. Czech licensed sports betting allowed.
Google allows licensed online gambling in Greece, Romania, Serbia and Peru, and sports betting in Poland.
Google UK: a UKGC licence (continuation licence first, then full licence) is required after the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014.
Google expands the social casino beta to non-English languages.
Google social casino beta eligibility expanded to AdMob, AdSense and Play customers.
Google folds social casino into its policy with certification required. Games played with virtual items of real-world value count as gambling.
US Supreme Court strikes down PASPA (Murphy v. NCAA), opening state-by-state sports betting.
Google US sports betting beta in New Jersey for state-licensed entities.
Google expands the US sports betting beta to Nevada and West Virginia, plus aggregators.
UK CAP/BCAP 'strong appeal' rule takes effect, replacing 'particular appeal'.
Ohio settlement: DraftKings fined $500,000 over 'free/risk-free' ads, missing problem-gambling messaging and mailers to under-21s. Barstool fined $250,000 over a campus event.
AGA Responsible Marketing Code ends 'risk-free'. Everyone in ads must be 21+. No college partnerships or college athlete NIL deals. Grace period to Jul 1.
UK white paper 'High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age' published.
Netherlands bans untargeted online gambling advertising.
UAE announces the GCGRA, a federal commercial gaming regulator.
Ontario AGCO bans athletes in igaming ads and restricts celebrities and influencers likely to appeal to minors.
GCGRA awards the first UAE lottery licence (The Game LLC, 'UAE Lottery').
Google bans lottery courier ads in Texas and New Mexico.
Google rewrites its gambling policy: revised country specifics and category definitions.
Meta requires sweepstakes casinos to obtain gambling authorization with proof of lawfulness.
India's Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 gets assent. s.6 bans ads for online money games. s.9(2) penalty: up to 2 yrs and/or Rs 50 lakh.
UKGC caps bonus wagering at 10x and bans mixed-product promotions.
Google adds 'good policy health' eligibility for gambling certification, with MCC-level revocation.
Google social casino applications move into the Google Ads account.
The ad'Risk-free' new-customer bet paid back in non-withdrawable bonus bets
OutcomeFiled Apr 2024. Alleges deceptive advertising. A separate Massachusetts class action over a '$1,000' bonus survived a motion to dismiss (reported Oct 2024). Final outcomes not verified.
LessonBonus-bet maths (a $100 free bet win nets about $91 vs about $191 in cash) drives deception claims.
The adPaid Facebook ad showing Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets: 'Who is the most underrated player at the club you support?'
OutcomeUpheld (CAP 16.3.12). Must not appear again.
LessonLower-profile or overseas players at top clubs can still have 'strong appeal'. Arguing 'medium risk' failed.
The adSky Sports PL tweet with a Granit Xhaka goal clip, carrying a bet365 Twitter Amplify pre-roll
OutcomeUpheld. Must not appear again.
LessonSponsored placements next to publisher content are judged as one ad. 25+ targeting did not save it. Found by ASA AI monitoring.
The ad'Free' and 'risk-free' offers that put players' money at risk. Mailers reached under-21s. Problem-gambling messaging not clear.
Outcome$500,000 settlement approved 2023-02-15.
LessonUS state regulators fine 'risk-free' wording directly.
Legal state by state since PASPA fell in 2018. Google requires a state licence, 21+ targeting and problem-gambling info. NY and MA ban 'free/risk-free' framing, campus ads and college endorsements, and depictions of under-21s (NY gaming-facility rule).
Only Gambling Commission licensees may advertise. CAP Code s.16 applies (strong appeal, under-25 rule). From 2026-01-19, wagering is capped at 10x. Northern Ireland is excluded from Google's UK online-gambling permission.
AGCO: no athletes, no public inducement ads, no 'free' or 'risk-free' unless truly free. Google: provincial licence and province-only targeting.
Licensed by country (e.g. Germany needs a German licence plus an imprint, Netherlands needs a KSA licence and bans untargeted ads, Italy: Google allows only state-run deferred-draw lotteries online and lists Italy as an offline-gambling ban country).
Federal GCGRA regulates lotteries, internet gaming and sports wagering. Google allows these ads only for GCGRA-licensed entities and bans offline-gambling ads in the UAE. UAE is NOT on Meta's unsupported-markets list, but Meta still requires authorization and local legality.
Online money games and their ads are banned under the 2025 Act. India is an unsupported market on Meta, not on Google's online-gambling allowed list, and on Google's offline-gambling ban list. Google social casino Group 2 includes India.
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This tool is a pre-launch screen, not legal advice. Meta and Google do not publish banned-word lists, so each flag is a risk signal tied to a published rule, regulator ruling or court case. Policies change often. Data last checked 5 October 2026.