Google Revises Policy on Alcohol, Prescription Drugs, Gambling & Government Docs

Digital Phablet reports updates and ongoing modifications to several Google Ads and Google Merchant Center policies, affecting categories such as alcohol, prescription medications, gambling, gaming, government documents, and services.

(1) The policy for physical goods subscriptions is expanding to explicitly include alcohol products, such as Wine Clubs, for merchants eligible in the U.S. According to this update, merchants must note that their systems can support only one subscription price per landing page. The subscription fee should represent a total, non-discounted periodic payment. Merchants are also encouraged to review their checkout process to make sure all mandatory fees are clearly displayed to consumers.

(2) Google is also broadening its recurring billing policies to permit certified merchants to promote prescription drugs with recurring billing models and bundled offerings within the United States. Eligible online pharmacies must maintain certification and ensure their product feeds use the appropriate attribute to specify total, non-discounted subscription costs. They are also required to include a link to their terms and conditions in the return policy section of their Merchant Center account. Transparency about any applicable fees and a clear description of offer contents, such as “prescription drug only” or “bundled treatment plan,” are essential. Compliance with all healthcare-related and billing policies remains mandatory. If a merchant’s account was previously disapproved for such offerings, they can request an account review after meeting these stipulations.

(3) Concerning gambling and gaming policies, Google is updating regulations for Indiana starting March 31, 2026. During this period, new certification applications for online-gambling-related content will be temporarily paused in that state.

(4) An upcoming update to the policy on government documents and services will take effect on March 17, 2026. For advertisers promoting business identifiers targeted only at India, certification as a government or authorized provider is not required; however, they must apply to be excluded from this policy category to prevent improper ad disapproval. For other cases involving restricted government documents or services, certification must be obtained by selecting the relevant application option. Enforcement of this policy update will begin on March 17, 2026.

This covers the key updates until then.

Details of these changes are being shared for industry awareness and compliance considerations.