Google has announced that YouTube users will be able to steer clear of gambling advertisements in the future if they choose not to see them. This functionality, Google has revealed, will be rolled out by Google to users starting next year.

The feature will be rolled out to users in a phased manner, beginning with YouTube Ads in the United States, and then gradually Google aims to introduce this for Google Ads and YouTube globally in early 2021. Countries with legal restrictions against serving gambling and alcohol ads will not see any change in their policies.

In a blogpost, the company said that it will provide YouTube users with more controls to limit ads on sensitive topics such as gambling. For this, it is adding a new feature in Ad Settings that will allow users to limit targeted advertising for such topics.

Explaining the new feature, it said: “We’ve heard feedback that some people would prefer to limit ads in certain categories like gambling so today, we’re launching a new control in Ad Settings, enabling people to see fewer gambling ads, as an additional option.”