Balatro yet again subject to mods’ poor understanding of “gambling”

YouTube says Nope! to age-gating Balatro videos

YouTube says that age-gating restrictions given to some videos about Balatro shouldn’t have been applied. The issue was brought to light by Balatro University and the game’s developer, LocalThunk.

Balatro yet again subject to mods’ poor understanding of “gambling”

Balatro is certainly habit-forming, but there's nothing to be won or lost, other than time, by playing it. While the game has you using standard playing cards and poker hands as part of its base mechanics, it does not have in-app purchases, loot boxes, or any kind of online play or enticement to gambling, beyond the basics of risk and reward. Yet many YouTube creators have had their Balatro videos set to the traffic-dropping "Age-restricted" sta…

YouTube places age restrictions on Balatro content, linking it to gambling

YouTube's algorithm is incorrectly placing age restrictions on Balatro videos, apparently.The issue was highlighted by a prominent YouTube channel, Balatro University, which has nearly 90,000 subscribers. Due to recent terms of service change enacted on March 19, YouTube now penalizes "depictions or promotions of online casino sites or apps" by age-restricting videos with those things in them. That makes a ton of sense, broadly speaking, but it'…

YouTube is conducting a 'platform-wide review' after mistakenly hitting Balatro videos with an age restriction for gambling content

Videos featuring Balatro gameplay should not be age-restricted.

First PEGI, now YouTube. Balatro is back at the center of a campaign against gambling, despite the fact that the game does not contain booty boxes or microtransactions. YouTube has hardened its content on gambling and casinos since late March 2025, restricting these videos to users over 18 years of age. However, Balatro’s content has been grouped with these videos, which means that YouTubers who make Balatro videos are now watching hundreds of a…

Balatro creator Localthunk goes after YouTube following takedowns of content from the game

First PEGI, now YouTube. Balatro once again finds itself at the heart of an anti-gambling push, despite the game not containing any loot boxes or microtransactions. YouTube has tightened up its content on gambling and casinos as of the end of March 2025, restricting these videos to users over the age of 18. However, Balatro content has been lumped in with these videos, meaning YouTubers who make Balatro videos are now seeing hundreds of videos …