YouTube has announced that starting 17 November 2025, it will expand its moderation criteria for gaming videos and gambling-related content. According to the company, videos depicting digital-asset wagering—such as skins, cosmetics or NFTs that resemble gambling behavior — will face stricter review. The policy update covers not only direct cash wagers but also instances where virtual items of real-world value are traded or gambled on, even when no money changes hands.
Alongside gambling, YouTube’s revised rules address video-game footage featuring realistic human characters in scenes of torture, mass violence against non-combatants or other highly graphic content. The platform will evaluate whether such scenes are central to the video, how long they persist, and whether the characters resemble real humans. If they meet the criteria, the video may be age-restricted to viewers 18 and older, or removed entirely.
Creators will need to review both new uploads and existing content, because YouTube has indicated that the rules apply retroactively. Videos uploaded before the enforcement date may be reclassified, removed or age-restricted but will not automatically trigger channel strikes. YouTube has advised creators to use tools such as trimming or blurring violent scenes and to limit references to unapproved gambling services or virtual-item betting.
The policy change reflects evolving challenges in the gaming and digital-goods ecosystem, where lines between gameplay, virtual economies and gambling are increasingly blurred. Industry watchers say this move positions YouTube alongside other platforms tightening oversight of virtual-asset wagering and mature gameplay content.
