Google has proposed sweeping changes to Play Store policies and advertising in India, with the aim of allowing more real money games on its platforms in an effort to settle an ongoing antitrust affair with a local online Winzo game platform.
On Wednesday, India’s competition issued a notice (PDF) Inviting comments about a Google “proposal”, offering extension of access to Play Store and advertising policy for more real money games in South Asia.
Google has suggested that it replace its current pilot program, allowing all real money to be distributed in the country-which “call themselves by developers as permitted online games in real money, in accordance with applicable laws/case law”-in Google Play.
However, developers are also obliged to submit proof that a valid third party has stated that the application is a “skill game”, the company suggested.
In September 2022, Google launched a pilot program to allow everyday imagination sports and rummy games at its India toy store. The move came after a 2021 ruling by the Supreme Court of India that categorized Fantasy Sports as “skill games” rather than as gambling – and therefore “legal”.
Shortly after the pilot’s announcement, the Winzo Gambling Platform filed a complaint With Delhi’s high court, calling the program that is being discriminated with to exclude other games to real money. India’s Competition Committee (CCI) took over the case and, last November, last November, ordered a formal detector Google’s policies for real money game apps.
In January last year, Google announced that it will extend support for real money games at the Play Store in India, Brazil and Mexico. However, the company stopped this growth in June 2024 and said it would continue to allow applications already included in India’s pilot in 2022 to remain on the platform.
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Along with the offer to expand the game store for all real money games confident from developers, Google has suggested that the programmer’s policies are informed to reflect the update. The company also said it would complete a “suitable business model” for real money game developers.
Similarly, Google has suggested that it allow the advertisement of “skill games” in India, where the application manufacturer provides a third party proof that it is a skill and not gambling game.
Recognized third parties in this case could even be industry associations such as India’s Game Federation, the Federation of Pleasing, or the Federation of Indian Fantastic Sports.
Google has said it will begin to allow compliant games in real money at the Play Store in India within 120 days of CCI approval, while relevant advertising policy changes will come into force within 150 days of the order of the regulatory authority.
“We are pleased that CCI is the test of our market the proposed real -money game (RMGS) in India,” a Google spokesman said in a statement sent to TechCrunch. “This development reflects our constructive discussions with the CCI and the Indian Developer Community with our commitment to build a more open and safe ecosystem for RMG applications in all Google Play and Google ads.”
In particular, the proposal, if accepted by the CCI after public feedback, will benefit Google, which will earn a share of revenue from a wider range of real money game applications and their ads on its platforms.
Play in real money dominates India’s game market, representing almost 86% of industry’s total revenue-₹ 274.38 billion ($ 3 billion) in 2024-up a common reference by Winzo and the Council of Interactive Entertainment and Innovation (IEIC) released earlier this year. However, its share is expected to be slightly reduced to 80% by 2029, as games that are not real money is growing in popularity and the total market extends to 785.51 billion ($ 8.9 billion).
Google’s latest proposal could also provide impetus to developers who are currently distributing their applications outside the Play Store – including APK files on their own sites. However, CCI research is continuing and the regulatory authority has not yet determined whether Google is involved in discrimination practices in this area.
The detector adds to an increasing list of antitrust challenges for Google in India, where the US -based technological giant has already been fined for alleged abuse of its sovereignty through Android and the Play Store. The company recently approached the Supreme Court to appeal to one of these decisions and to challenge CCI’s findings. The case is expected to be mentioned for a hearing next month.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work with the CCI and the wider RMG ecosystem and we are sure that our proposed framework will boost Indian developers, develop the digital economy and prioritize user safety,” the Google spokesman said.
