The AdWords policy for Restricted content content applies to Gmail ads.

Restricted content

The restricted content policies below cover content that is sometimes legally or culturally sensitive. Online advertising can be a powerful way to reach customers, but in sensitive areas, we also work hard to avoid showing these ads when and where they might be inappropriate.

Because we allow promotion of the content below with AdWords on a limited basis, not all ad products, including Gmail ads, may be able to support this restricted content. These ads may not show to every user in every location, and advertisers may need to meet additional requirements before their ads are eligible to run. Please review "Additional Gmail ads prohibited content" below for more information on whether AdWords restricted content is permissible on Gmail ads.

If your ads are marked “Approved (limited)” please review how this impacts where your ad can show.

Adult-oriented content

Google restricts the promotion of the following types of adult-oriented content:

• offline adult entertainment
• adult merchandise
• dating services
• international bride services
• sexually suggestive content
• images containing exposed skin and nudity

When promoting adult-oriented content, you may not do any of the following:

• violate applicable laws or regulations for any location that your campaign targets
• target minors
• promote sexually explicit content
• promote content with underage or non-consensual sexual themes
• promote escort services or other services that may be interpreted as providing sexual acts in exchange for compensation

Examples of restricted adult content: strip clubs, erotic cinemas, sex toys, adult magazines, sexual enhancement products, matchmaking sites, models in sexualized poses

Alcoholic beverages

Google restricts the promotion of alcoholic beverages and drinks that resemble alcoholic beverages.

When promoting alcoholic beverages, you may not do any of the following:

• violate applicable laws and industry standards for any location that your campaign targets
• target individuals below the legal drinking age
• imply that drinking alcohol can improve social, sexual, professional, intellectual, or athletic standing
• imply that drinking alcohol provides health or therapeutic benefits
• portray excessive drinking in a positive light or feature binge or competition drinking
• show alcohol being consumed in conjunction with the operation of a vehicle of any kind, the operation of machinery, or the performance of any task requiring alertness or dexterity

Examples of restricted alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, sake, spirits or hard alcohol, Champagne, fortified wine, non-alcoholic beer, non-alcoholic wine, and non-alcoholic distilled spirits

Copyrighted content

Google restricts the promotion of copyrighted content. If you would like to promote copyrighted content and believe that you're legally authorized to do so, you can send us your copyright documentation to be certified to advertise.

Visit our page on removing content from Google to learn how we handle copyright-related issues or to submit a copyright-related complaint.

Gambling-related content

Google restricts the promotion of the following gambling-related content:

• offline and online gambling
• online gambling-related information
• online games played for money or prizes
• online casino-based games, regardless of whether money is exchanged

When promoting gambling-related content, you need to do the following:

1. Comply with applicable laws and industry standards for any location that your campaign targets.
2. Meet local licensing requirements for all gambling-related products and services that you're promoting.
3. Clearly display information on your landing page about responsible gambling.
4. Ensure that you don't target minors.

Additionally, you must receive pre-authorization from Google before promoting any online gambling-related content. If the country you'd like to target is not listed in the country restrictions section, AdWords can’t promote restricted gambling content there.

Examples of restricted gambling-related content: physical casinos; sites where users can bet on poker, bingo, roulette, or sports events; national or private lotteries; sports odds aggregator sites; sites offering bonus codes or promotional offers for gambling sites; online educational materials for casino-based games; sites offering "poker-for-fun" games; non-casino-based cash game sites

Healthcare-related content

Google restricts the promotion of healthcare-related content such as the following:

• over-the-counter medication
• prescription medication and information about prescription medication
• online and offline pharmacies
• pregnancy and fertility-related products and services
• medical services and procedures
• medical devices and tests
• clinical trial recruitment
• sexual enhancement treatments

The restrictions that apply to this content may vary depending on the product or service that you're promoting and the countries that you're targeting. Some content, such as unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements, can't be promoted anywhere.

Depending on the content that you're promoting and the countries where your ads appear, you may need to apply for pre-authorization with Google before advertising healthcare-related content.

Political content

When promoting political content, you need to comply with the following:

• applicable laws and industry standards for any location that your campaign targets
• any applicable election "silence periods"
• Google's country-specific requirements

Examples of political content: promotion of political parties or candidates, political issue advocacy

Trademarks

There are multiple factors that determine when trademarks can be used in AdWords text ads. Along with the factors described in our Policy Center, these policies apply only to trademarked terms where the owner submitted a valid complaint to Google and requested that the terms be restricted in Google text ads.

The AdWords policy for Restricted content content applies to Gmail ads.