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Google proposes to allow real money games on Play Store

Entrackr · 1d ago

Medial

Google has proposed allowing real money games (RMGs) on Google Play in India as part of efforts to address anti-competition concerns. In addition, the tech giant has suggested changes to its Google Ads Policy, permitting games of skill to be advertised in India subject to certain conditions. Last year, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered an investigation against Google following a complaint filed by Winzo Games. In response, Google has submitted a commitment proposal to the regulator. “The Play Commitment Proposal, along with the Ads Commitment Proposal, addresses the Hon’ble Commission’s concerns by ensuring inclusive access to Google Play and Google Ads for all compliant RMGs, eliminating any alleged competitive disadvantages, and standardizing policies to prevent any adverse effects on competition,” Google said in its proposal. The CCI had stated that excluding certain RMG apps from Google Play could result in denial of market access and that the selective onboarding of DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) and Rummy apps allegedly distorts the competitive landscape. It was also noted that the extended duration of the pilot program, which only included DFS and Rummy apps, perpetuated advantages for these apps and created barriers for new entrants. According to Google, it will replace the current pilot program by allowing the distribution of all RMGs self-declared by developers as permissible online real money games according to applicable laws and jurisprudence, on Google Play in India. Google is also finalizing an approach for an appropriate business model that takes into account developer commercial models in the RMG industry. Regarding its Ads Policy, it will permit games of skill to be advertised in India if the advertiser provides proof of good standing with a recognized third party and meets certain other conditions. Among other points, Google clarified that payment warnings are developer-agnostic, applied uniformly and transparently, and are objectively necessary for user safety, as mandated by directives from the Reserve Bank of India and the National Payments Corporation of India.