Short answer: none of the mainstream email platforms (Mailchimp, SendGrid, Brevo, Mailgun, Klaviyo, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign, Postmark, Mailjet) reliably accept gambling, crypto or adult senders. Their acceptable use policies either prohibit the category outright or restrict it so that accounts are suspended after review, usually mid-campaign. Senders in these verticals end up on one of three things: a specialist high-risk provider, their own dedicated servers, or Amazon SES with a self-managed platform and a very clean list. The table below is the state of play in October 2026.
Policies change without notice and enforcement is inconsistent, so treat this as a map, not a guarantee, and read the current policy before you move a list. If you spot an error, tell us at hello@sendhaven.io and we will fix it.
The table
| Provider | Gambling / iGaming | Crypto | Adult | Forex / trading | Cold email | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | No | No | No | Restricted | No | Prohibited content list names gambling, cryptocurrencies and adult. Licensed operators are suspended anyway. Suspensions since at least 2018 for crypto. |
| SendGrid (Twilio) | Restricted | Restricted | No | Restricted | No | Gambling and crypto are "restricted" categories needing approval; in practice accounts pass signup and are suspended during sends. |
| Brevo | No | No | No | Restricted | No | Acceptable use policy excludes gambling, crypto and adult. Good European option for everything else. |
| Mailgun (Sinch) | Restricted | Restricted | No | Restricted | No | Case-by-case approval for gambling; adult content prohibited; cold email prohibited. |
| Amazon SES | Case by case | Case by case | Case by case | Case by case | No | No category ban, but a 0.1% complaint and 5% bounce ceiling, production access review, and shutdowns are automatic. Needs your own platform. |
| Postmark | No | No | No | No | No | Transactional only, strict content review. |
| Klaviyo | No | No | No | No | No | Prohibits gambling, adult, CBD and crypto in its AUP. |
| MailerLite | No | No | No | No | No | Prohibits gambling, adult, crypto, forex and affiliate marketing. |
| ActiveCampaign | No | No | No | Restricted | No | Prohibited content covers gambling, adult and most crypto. |
| Mailjet (Sinch) | No | No | No | Restricted | No | Same policy family as Mailgun. |
| SendX | Yes | Yes | Restricted | Yes | No | Shared platform that markets to iGaming and crypto. Shared IPs by default. |
| Doctor Mailer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | High-risk platform with VPS bundles, from about €2,100 / month. |
| SendHaven | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dedicated servers, aged domains, managed warm-up, dashboard, SMTP and API. From €424 / month per server. Legal businesses only. |
| Self-hosted (Mumara, Interspire, MailWizz, Postal) on your VPS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No policy at all, but you buy domains, warm IPs, handle blacklists and replacements yourself. |
Why mainstream platforms say no
It is not a moral judgement. Shared platforms run thousands of customers through shared IP pools, and one high-complaint sender damages inbox placement for everyone. Gambling, crypto and adult produce more complaints per thousand sends than SaaS newsletters, draw more scrutiny from Gmail and Microsoft, and come with payment-processor and regulatory pressure on the platform itself. The cheapest way for a platform to protect its pool is to exclude the category, so it does, regardless of whether you hold a licence.
The three routes that actually work
1. A specialist high-risk provider
Companies built for these verticals: SendHaven, Doctor Mailer and a handful of others. You get dedicated IPs so your reputation is yours alone, a sending platform or SMTP access, and a provider that will not suspend you for the category. The trade-off is price: from a few hundred euros a month for one server to a few thousand for clusters, against the €20 to €300 a month of a shared platform. See our SendHaven vs Doctor Mailer comparison for how the two main options differ.
2. Your own dedicated servers
Postfix or PowerMTA on your own VPS, with your own domains and IPs, and a self-hosted platform such as Mumara, Interspire or MailWizz on top. Total control, no acceptable use policy, and the lowest cash cost. The hidden cost is the work: aged domains, DNS and authentication, 4 to 6 weeks of warm-up per IP, blacklist monitoring, and replacing servers when they burn. Most senders who go this route end up doing it badly the first time. Our infrastructure guide covers what is involved.
3. Amazon SES with a strict list
SES has no category ban and costs almost nothing per email. It also has automatic enforcement: complaint rate above 0.1% or bounces above 5% and your account is paused or closed without a conversation. For a licensed operator with a clean, engaged, opt-in list and a competent team, SES plus a self-hosted platform can work. For cold lists or anything with complaint risk it fails within weeks.
What to check before you sign anywhere
- Is your category named in the acceptable use policy as prohibited, restricted, or not mentioned? "Not mentioned" is not "allowed".
- Are the IPs dedicated to you, or shared with other customers?
- Who owns the sending domains, and what happens when one burns?
- Is warm-up included or your problem?
- What is the suspension process: notice period, data export, refund?
- Can you connect your existing platform over SMTP or API, or are you locked into theirs?
SendHaven answers those six in writing before any payment. If you would like the answers for your business, message @alex_rosca on Telegram or book a call.
Frequently asked questions
Does Mailchimp allow gambling emails?
No. Mailchimp's prohibited content list includes gambling, and licensed operators report suspensions even when gambling is legal in their market. Cryptocurrency promotion is also prohibited.
Does SendGrid allow casino or crypto senders?
Gambling and cryptocurrency are restricted categories at SendGrid that need approval. In practice many accounts pass signup and are suspended during a campaign after review, which is worse than a refusal upfront.
Can I use Amazon SES for iGaming or adult email?
SES has no category ban, but it enforces a 0.1% complaint rate and 5% bounce rate automatically and pauses or closes accounts that exceed them. It works for clean, opt-in lists with a self-hosted platform, and fails quickly for anything else.
Which email providers accept adult content?
Mainstream platforms prohibit adult content. Specialist providers such as SendHaven and Doctor Mailer accept legal adult businesses, and self-hosted setups on your own servers have no content policy at all.
What is the cheapest way to send email for a high-risk business?
Self-hosting on your own VPS is the cheapest in cash and the most expensive in time. A single managed dedicated server from a specialist provider, around €424 to €499 per month, is the cheapest option that someone else keeps running.
Written by Alex Rosca, founder of SendHaven. Questions or corrections: Telegram @alex_rosca or hello@sendhaven.io. Updated October 15, 2026.