Google issues blanket ban on all gambling advertising in Nigeria 

Google has announced a new blanket ban on all gambling advertising in Nigeria in response to last November’s Supreme Court ruling regarding the National Lottery Act 2005. 

As per Google’s official policy update, the changes have been implemented to “reflect the impact of a recent court ruling”. 

Though the tech giant didn’t state which court ruling the changes were in reaction to, it is expected to be the nullification of the National Lottery Act 2005 that was confirmed in November.

The Nigerian Supreme Court unanimously agreed to shift the power to regulate lotteries and games of chance from the federal government to the House Assemblies of the States within the federation. 

Now, the National Lottery Act 2005 is limited to just Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while the states will be entrusted to regulate lotteries and online gambling within their own respective jurisdictions.  

Google’s policy change, enforced to ensure its advertising policy is aligned with Nigeria’s new state-level regulations, means all advertising related to both online gambling and “gambling-related products” is banned in Nigeria, as of 8 January.  

“Gambling-related products” are defined by the California-headquartered company as gambling-related promotional products, such as vouchers and bonus codes, as well as gambling-related informational materials including tips, odds and handicapping. 

Educational materials related to gambling are also now prohibited in the West African country, with books and e-books falling under that category. 

The updates rules impact all Google advertising products, including Search, Display Network and YouTube advertisements.