Google to Pull Gambling Ads in Croatia From October 7

Google is pulling gambling ads out of Croatia. Starting 7 October, every existing certification for online gambling promotions aimed at Croatian audiences gets revoked, and the platform stops taking on new advertisers in the vertical.

The rule sits inside Google's country-specific terms for Croatia, filed under its Gambling and Gaming policy. From that date, all promotion of online gambling content targeting Croatia is prohibited. Existing certifications are cancelled. New applications? Closed.

Affiliates and media portals buying paid search or display to funnel traffic to operators will take the hit first. Those funnels run on certified accounts, and without certification the campaigns don't just sag, they go dark.

Google insists the call was made independently of the Croatian government's own advertising crackdown. The timing invites scepticism. Since 1 January 2026, the HDZ government has run a 6am to 11pm watershed on online, TV and radio gambling ads, banned them from print and billboards, blocked digital publications from linking to operators, and barred celebrities, media personalities and social influencers from promoting or streaming gambling. Sponsorship survives, trimmed back to corporate name, logo and brand marks, with no calls to gamble. Every permitted ad has to carry addiction and underage warnings. Low-risk lottery products get limited exemptions under the amended Croatian Gambling Act.

Enforcement is already under scrutiny. Back in June, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) announced a partnership with US prediction markets operator Kalshi, pushed across HNS social channels in a campaign fronted by Luka Modric. Local outlets asked why no agency moved against a deal sitting in an unregulated grey area. The HNS hasn't explained the partnership.