Germany’s gambling regulator, Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), has revealed a significant decrease in the number of black market gambling ads in the country following Google’s September 25 update to its German gambling and games advertising policy.
The new update means operators and affiliates must be licensed by the GGL to run ads, preventing unlicensed operators from advertising on Google.
According to the GGL, the new update has clearly reduced black market operators’ visibility in Google’s paid ad spaces. Ronald Benter, GGL’s CEO, said the update is “already having a clear effect.”
Unlicensed operators and affiliates lose visibility on Google
Under the new policy, existing certifications for non-licensed iGaming businesses have been removed — and new applications from unlicensed operators are no longer accepted. Interestingly, the changes apply to comparison (affiliate sites, too — platforms the GGL says had previously been linked to illegal gambling sites that were targeting users in Germany.
According to the GGL, since the update, no paid or sponsored ads from unlicensed operators or affiliate sites had been detected on Google’s search results pages.
However, the GGL also recognizes that to circumvent the advertising ban, illegal operators are now shifting their focus to search engine optimization (SEO) — using intensive link marketing and black-hat techniques — to attempt to continue appearing to German users.
It’s likely this is something the GGL will attempt to address in the future, as Benter hinted:
“We will continue to monitor developments and remain in contact with Google in order to achieve further restrictions on advertising opportunities for illegal gambling providers.”
Still, it’s a definitive success for the GGL, and it’s impressive that, essentially, they’ve stopped all non-licensed advertising in a seemingly overnight policy change. This mirrors what we’ve seen in other jurisdictions — like the UK — where regulators have been working closely with platforms like Google to limit the reach of offshore operators and affiliates targeting players.
Yet another update affecting affiliates
For affiliates operating in Germany, the new Google ad policy has had a visible impact. Those running “comparison sites” are now required to hold a license from the GGL, with affiliates failing to meet their criteria facing a blanket ban from advertising on Google in Germany.
However, even affiliates who weren’t running Google ads should see this move as a wake-up call. The GGL has made it clear they’re going to do everything they can to prevent unlicensed affiliates from targeting German players — and it’s likely they’ll soon shift their focus to those using organic SEO.
Affiliates in the German space should ensure they’re compliant, and, where applicable, licensed, if they plan to continue putting their efforts into the market. It’s likely future updates will affect those relying on SEO-based marketing, and, again, like we’ve seen in the UK, takedown requests could be the next step for the GGL.
