In a major shift for the digital marketing landscape, X (formerly Twitter) has officially updated its Paid Partnerships Policy to prohibit all gambling-related promotions through influencer collaborations.
The move, effective immediately, marks a significant tightening of acquisition channels for licensed operators and affiliate partners who have increasingly relied on “compensated content arrangements” to reach target audiences.
Defining Prohibited Partnerships
Under the new framework, Elon Musk’s social media platform defines paid partnerships as any arrangement where a third-party brand provides compensation or incentives to a user, such as an influencer or brand ambassador, to promote a service. This ban explicitly covers sports betting, social casinos, lotteries, and general wagering services.
Crucially, the policy includes not only direct financial payments but also affiliate agreements and “free gifts” used as promotional incentives. This places gambling alongside other high-scrutiny sectors such as cryptocurrency, tobacco, and adult content.
Alignment with Global Regulatreends
This internal policy change reflects a broader global movement toward restricting influencer impact on youth and vulnerable populations.
Since the inception of the Brazil Bets regime on January 1, 2025, influencer and athlete promotions have been banned in the country. Similarly, several European nations, including the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy, already enforce total bans on such marketing practices.
X’s decision responds to intensifying pressure on Big Tech to improve guardrails:
“Creators remain responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable local advertising and X endorsement policies.”
The Distinction Between Ads and Partnerships
Importantly, X has clarified that while influencer-led partnerships are now banned, traditional advertising through the X Ads platform remains permissible, subject to separate, existing advertising policies.
The platform stated:
“Our policies for Paid Partnerships are distinct from our Advertising policies. Content prohibited under paid partnerships may be permissible in X Ads.”
This move signals that while paid outreach is being centralized through official ad channels, the era of unregulated, “frictionless” influencer endorsements on the platform is effectively over.
