Google Ads added Connecticut to the places where prediction market ads are prohibited, effective Oct. 7, 2026, the day the notice was posted.
The notice, titled “Update to Prediction Markets (October 2026)” in Google’s Advertising Policies change log, says Google “will update our Prediction markets policy in the United States to prohibit the advertisement of prediction markets contracts and related products ads in Connecticut.” It adds that advertising of the products in Connecticut “is prohibited effective October 7, 2026.”
Google’s Prediction Markets policy page now lists the approved target location as “United States (excluding Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Ohio).” An advertiser needs Google certification, and must be either a Designated Contract Market authorized by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission or a brokerage authorized by the National Futures Association.
Why it matters
The change is a targeting task for campaign teams. A US-wide prediction market campaign now has five states it cannot reach under this policy. The notice sets the effective date as the posting date and mentions no transition period, so there is no stated window to adjust targeting.
Our read
Location lists on a policy page can change faster than campaign templates do. A team running this category should check the geographic targeting on every active campaign, add the five states as exclusions, and keep the policy page’s location list as a standing item in the weekly account review. The same habit applies to other policy-gated categories, such as the automated promotions asset documented in Google Ads Help. Placement controls cover the content side of the same planning job, as in the Zefr and Reddit brand suitability partnership.
Source: Google Advertising Policies Help, Update to Prediction Markets (October 2026)
