YouTube thinks Balatro is gambling and has been age-restricting videos

It takes a lot of time and effort to get a game off the ground, especially if you’re an indie developer. And it’s even harder to get a game recognized, with so many different titles making their debuts each day. So, when something like Balatro comes along, it’s important to really cherish the moment.

And while it seems like something that just popped up overnight, it was a long time in the making, with developer LocalThunk taking years to fine tune the details to get things right. For many, Balatro was the best game of 2024, and despite tons of success, it’s been seeing some uphill battles from some unlikely sources.

The game is seen as a form of gambling

YouTube is the latest to get Balatro in its net, with PC Gamer reporting that the platform is now age-restricting videos about the game, alleging that it is gambling content. Now, we know that YouTube has tightened its policy with regard to gambling content, but hitting Balatro content with age restrictions seems like a bit of a stretch.

Let’s be clear, Balatro is an addictive game. But it’s addictive in the best kind of way, which only requires that you spend your time, energy, and emotions. The game never asks you to pay anything additional, and the only way that you can beat it is with a lot of luck, playtime, and skill.

There are a lot of games out there right now that allow you to pay to win. Or make you pay through the nose with gatcha-style mechanics or loot boxes. And if Balatro utilized these mechanics, it would make sense to restrict content in accordance with YouTube’s new policies, but that isn’t the case.

Of course, many are not happy with what’s going on, especially creators that are focused on Balatro for content. And what makes this worse is that it’s not clear if something like this will ever change, considering that YouTube isn’t very transparent about these kinds of situations.

And while we’d like to say that this is kind of a surprise, it isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Balatro was hit with an 18 rating by PEGI (Pan-European Game Information), which is Europe’s video game content rating system, because it thought that the game featured “teaching or glamorisation of simulated gambling.”

It took some time, but that was finally amended, with the game receiving a PEGI 12 rating. The path remains unclear for Balatro, but it’s tough to see these types of things happen. On a lighter note, the first big update for Balatro is still on track for 2025. So it will be interesting to see what kinds of changes or enhancements will be introduced.