Google Ads to ban gambling-promoting content in Croatia

Existing certifications will be revoked on 7 October, though Google says promotion of online gambling itself is not affected. 

Google Ads will disallow the promotion of online gambling-promoting content targeting Croatia from 7 October 2026. Operators advertising their own products are not affected.

What the notice says

Google is updating the country-specific requirements for Croatia under its gambling and games policy. From 7 October, all promotion of online gambling-promoting content targeting Croatia is disallowed. 

All existing certifications for advertisers of that content will be revoked, and applications for those certifications will no longer be accepted.

The notice was posted on 9 September. It gives no reason for the change, sets out no appeals route, and states that promotion of online gambling will not be affected.

What counts as gambling-promoting content

The update does not define the term. The definition sits in the main gambling and games policy, which describes gambling-promoting content as content that directly promotes engagement in gambling activities and/or gambling-promoting content that requires authorisation under local law.

Within that category, Google certifies only one type: aggregator or affiliate sites that provide information about, or a comparison of, other gambling services. 

Those sites may not offer gambling themselves or link to services they own, and anything they promote must hold the relevant licence in the country targeted. In practice, the split is between an operator advertising its own product and a third-party site advertising a route to someone else’s.

Online gambling is a separate category covering operators, and it is unaffected. 

Croatia’s entry in Google’s country table allows advertising of casino games and betting by operators licensed by the Croatian gambling authorities, with lotteries and bingo restricted to the state operator Hrvatska Lutrija. Those operators can continue advertising provided they meet the country-specific certification requirements.

Croatian law already restricts online promotion

The platform change sits on top of national rules that operators had to meet by 1 January 2026. 

Amendments to the Croatian Gambling Act, published in the official gazette Narodne novine in April 2025, bar electronic publications from carrying content that includes links leading in any way to the sites of gambling operators.

Operators had until 1 January 2026 to comply with the wider advertising regime. 

• It prohibits gambling advertising online, in audiovisual and radio programming, and in electronic publications between 06:00 and 23:00. 
• Print advertising is banned outright, as is advertising on publicly visible surfaces.
• Bonuses, free spins, and similar incentives may be promoted only on operators’ own websites, and low-risk lottery games are exempt.
• Celebrities and people with media influence may not appear in gambling advertising, and social media content creators may not promote or livestream gambling. 

Sponsorship remains permitted, but is limited to a company name, logo, and recognisable service marks.

What changes in practice

Comparison and information sites working in the Croatian market lose paid search and display from 7 October, leaving organic search, direct traffic, and operator-side arrangements. 

Operators keep paid media, subject to the domestic watershed and content rules.

The move follows a wider tightening at the platform level. 

Google applied a ‘good policy health’ standard across its full gambling and games category from 14 September 2026, restricting certification for accounts with repeated violations or revoked certificates. Our guide to gambling advertising rules in 2026 covers how national and platform restrictions interact.

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