Google Proposes To Open Play Store To More Real-money Games In India

Google has projected sweeping changes to its Play Store and advertizing policies successful India, aiming to let much real-money gaming apps onto its platforms successful a bid to settee an ongoing antitrust lawsuit pinch a section online gaming level WinZO.

On Wednesday, India’s title watchdog issued a public notice (PDF) inviting comments connected a “commitment proposal” from Google, offering to grow entree to its Play Store and advertizing argumentation for much real-money gaming apps successful nan South Asian market.

Google projected to switch its existent aviator programme by allowing nan distribution of each real-money games successful nan country, which are “self-declared by developers arsenic permissible online real-money games arsenic per applicable laws/jurisprudence” connected Google Play successful nan country.

However nan developers are besides required to taxable impervious that an charismatic third-party assemblage has declared nan app to beryllium a “game of skill,” nan institution proposed.

In September 2022, Google launched a aviator program to let regular imagination sports and rummy games connected its Play Store successful India. The move came aft a 2021 ruling by India’s Supreme Court that categorized imagination sports arsenic “games of skill” alternatively than gambling — and truthful “legal.”

Shortly aft nan aviator launched, online gaming level WinZO filed a complaint pinch India’s antitrust watchdog, calling nan programme discriminatory for excluding different real-money games. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) took up nan lawsuit and, successful November that year, ordered a general probe into Google’s policies for real-money gaming apps.

In January past year, Google announced it would grow support for real-money gaming apps connected nan Play Store successful India, Brazil, and Mexico. However, nan institution paused that rollout successful June and stated it would proceed to let apps already included successful nan 2022 India aviator to stay connected nan platform.

Alongside offering to grow its Play Store for each real-money games self-declared by developers, Google projected to update its Developer Program Policies to bespeak nan update. The institution besides stated that it would finalize an “appropriate business model” for real-money crippled developers.

Similarly, Google has projected to let “games of skill” to beryllium advertised successful India wherever nan app shaper provides impervious by a third-party that it is simply a crippled of accomplishment and not gambling.

The recognized 3rd parties successful this lawsuit could moreover beryllium manufacture associations specified arsenic nan All India Gaming Federation, E-Gaming Federation, aliases nan Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports.

Google said it would statesman allowing compliant real-money games connected its Play Store successful India wrong 120 days of nan CCI’s approval, while related advertisement argumentation changes would return effect wrong 150 days of nan regulator’s order.

“We’re pleased nan CCI is marketplace testing our projected model for real-money games (RMGs) successful India,” a Google spokesperson said successful a connection emailed to TechCrunch. “This improvement reflects our constructive discussions pinch nan CCI and nan Indian developer organization on pinch our committedness to building a much unfastened and safe ecosystem for RMG apps crossed Google Play and Google Ads.”

Notably, nan proposal, if it is accepted by nan CCI aft nationalist feedback, would use Google, which stands to gain a stock of gross from a broader scope of real-money gaming apps and their ads connected its platforms.

Real-money gaming dominates India’s online gaming market, accounting for astir 86% of full manufacture gross — ₹274.38 cardinal ($3 billion) successful 2024 — per a joint report by WinZO and nan Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council (IEIC) released earlier this year. However, its stock is expected to diminution somewhat to 80% by 2029, arsenic non-real-money games turn successful fame and nan wide marketplace expands to ₹785.51 cardinal ($8.9 billion).

Google’s latest connection could besides connection a boost to developers presently distributing their apps extracurricular nan Play Store — including via APK files connected their ain websites. However, nan CCI’s investigation is still ongoing, and nan regulator has yet to find whether Google engaged successful discriminatory practices successful this space.

The probe adds to a increasing database of antitrust challenges for Google successful India, wherever nan U.S.-headquartered tech elephantine has already been fined for allegedly abusing its dominance done Android and nan Play Store. The institution precocious approached nan Supreme Court to entreaty 1 of these rulings and title nan CCI’s findings. The lawsuit is expected to beryllium listed for proceeding adjacent month.

“We look guardant to continuing to activity pinch nan CCI and nan wider RMG ecosystem, and are assured our projected model will empower Indian developers, turn nan integer economy, and prioritize personification safety,” Google’s spokesperson said.