Social media giant X has overhauled its commercial guidelines, explicitly listing gambling as a prohibited industry for organic Paid Partnerships.
This policy update fundamentally changes how influencers, brand ambassadors, and affiliates can monetize their presence on the platform. Under the new framework, any post involving third-party compensation, ranging from affiliate commissions and revenue share to gifted products, is classified as a Paid Partnership and must be disclosed with labels such as “Ad” or “Promoted Content”.
Challenges for Affiliates and Crypto Casinos
The restriction creates a significant paradox for the gambling sector. If an affiliate discloses a post as required, they may be flagged for promoting a prohibited industry; if they fail to disclose it, they risk violating transparency laws and X’s terms of service.
This is particularly impactful for crypto casinos, which have long used X as a primary acquisition channel through influencer-led revenue share models and referral codes.
X has signaled that it will take strict enforcement measures against those who bypass the Paid Partnership rules. The platform stated that violations may result in “content removal, temporary read-only restrictions, or account suspension in cases of repeated breaches”.
As the gambling industry navigates this shift, many brands may be forced to migrate their social distribution strategies toward regulated advertising formats or alternative platforms.
