• by Colin Kirkland , September 7, 2023

Google has announced an update to its cryptocurrencies and related products advertising policy that will allow blockchain-based games involving non-fungible tokens (NFTs) starting this month.

“Beginning September 15, 2023, advertisers offering NFT games that do not promote gambling-related content may advertise those products and services,” the company stated in a blog post.

Google described advertising-appropriate NFT games as ones that allow players to purchase in-game items like virtual apparel, weapons, and armor “to enhance a user's experience or aid users in advancing in the game.”

The tech giant's new ad policy will continue to ban the promotion of games that let players wage or stake NFTs in exchange for the opportunity to win something of real-world value, including other NFTs, cash, or cryptocurrency.

Nor will advertisers be able to promote social casino games that reward NFTs to its players, or any gambling-related ads that appear on a game’s destination.

To run ads that promote gambling-related content that integrate NFTs, Google said that advertisers will first need to comply with the Gambling and games policy and receive proper certification.

<>After banning all cryptocurrency-related advertising across its platforms in 2018 due to the potential of consumer harm, Google has walked back its original ban. In July, the company published new rules for its mobile Google Play Store, allowing Android developers to incorporate non-gambling NFTs into their games.