Gambling Paid Partnerships and Collaborations Banned on X

by Roy Brindley, 20 February 2026

New X rules mean advertising and promoting gambling on its social media platform has become far more difficult.

Elon’s Musk’s X has banned paid partnerships related to gambling. © Getty Images

Key Facts:

• Updated Paid Partnership Rules on X means ‘compensated content arrangements’ are now outlawed.
• The move reflects broader global tightening around gambling marketing.
• Paid advertising content remains, but Ads must use clear disclosure labels.

X, the social media giant formerly known as Twitter, has updated its Paid Partnership Rules, adding gambling-related businesses to a list of industries prohibited from using paid partnership posts to reach their X-based audiences.

“X defines paid partnerships as the involvement of a third-party brand providing compensation or incentives to a user, such as an influencer or content creator, to promote their product or service,” says X’s updated Paid Partnerships Policy in its Help Centre.

The change, announced on 18 February 2026, means that gambling companies can no longer use ‘compensated content arrangements’ such as brand ambassador posts, influencer endorsements, affiliate agreements, and similar collaborations.

Ban Moves UK in Line With Other European Countries

Gambling now joins a banned list that features adult and sexual products (and services), alcoholic drinks, dating & marriage services, drugs (and related products), financial products (including loans and crypto), health and wellness supplements, pharmaceutical and medicine-related products, tobacco, weapons, and weight loss products and services.

While different rules govern general X advertising, the updated paid partnerships framework makes it clear that gambling content cannot be shared through influencer or affiliate deals on the platform. Creators who post paid content must still use clear disclosure labels, such as “Ad” or “Promoted Content.”

The move reflects broader global tightening around gambling marketing. In parts of Europe – including the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Italy – influencer-led gambling promotion is already banned outright. Other countries are considering implementing similar restrictions to online betting sites.

Social Media Platforms Under Commercial Pressure

X notes that exceptions to the ban can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by its internal teams, but it didn’t elaborate on the criteria. The policy shift comes as social platforms face increasing pressure to strengthen rules around commercial content and protect younger audiences online.

In regulated markets such as the UK, influencers can still post about gambling but must follow strict advertising and age-gating standards. Furthermore, the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) rules must also be followed.

In 2018, a Tweet that appeared on racehorse trainer Nicky Henderson’s Twitter account – promoting a blog that appeared on the Unibet online casino and betting site – was the subject of an upheld complaint made to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority.

Gambling #Ad’s Have Been Grilled Before

The offending Tweet said: “We’re underway with the jumps and my exclusive @unibet blog is now ready to read”. With the complainant protesting Unibet had editorial control over the tweet, it challenged whether the company had breached ASA’s CAP code (UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing).

In its defence, Unibet produced a copy of its contract with Henderson, pointing out that it paid Nicky Henderson to be an ambassador for its brand, and that the document included a term stating that one of Mr Henderson’s obligations was to allow Unibet to manage, with his assistance, his social media activity.

Avoiding any significant punishment, the ASA ordered that future Unibet/Henderson marketing communications should be made identifiable by, for example, using an identifier such as “#Ad”. Moving forward, gambling businesses violating X rules could face content removal, temporary account restrictions, or full account suspension.