YouTube will begin enforcing stricter rules on online gambling content from November 17, including a ban on ads or promotions involving gambling with digital items that have real monetary value, most obviously relating to Counter-Strike 2 skins.
In an update to its Community Guidelines, YouTube said it is “expanding enforcement” against content that directs viewers to online gambling sites or apps that involve “digital goods (e.g. video game skins, cosmetics and NFTs)” that can be cashed out for real money.
There is an exception for sites that have been “certified by Google” – specifically, websites that must be certified for Google Ads, which are those that meet local legal requirements.
This marks the platform’s first explicit move to address gambling with tradable in-game assets.
The rule targets a booming market in Counter-Strike 2, where players can buy, sell, and trade cosmetic weapon skins, many of which have market values in the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
Some third-party sites allow users to gamble these items on roulette-style games or match predictions, effectively turning the digital cosmetics into a form of currency.
YouTube’s decision follows a similar move by Twitch in 2023, when the Amazon-owned platform explicitly banned sponsorships linked to Counter-Strike skin gambling websites. However, the enforcement of that rule has been questioned.
In addition to the new gambling rules, YouTube will also begin age-restricting videos featuring casino-style games that do not use real money and introduce tighter rules around gaming footage showing “realistic human” violence.
The full policy changes take effect on November 17, 2025, and YouTube says they are meant to “keep pace with new trends, like gambling with digital goods.”
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