Google’s new Play Store pilot irks many in gaming industry
Fantasy sports and rummy apps are currently banned on Play Store for violating the platform’s policy on gambling. It explains why none of the popular apps on it such as Dream 11, MPL, Paytm First Games, or RummyCircle are not available on the Play Store
The daily fantasy sports (DFS) and online rummy industry in India, which includes companies like Dream Sports and Mobile Premier League (MPL), seems to have taken a positive step in its crusade against Google. The Android maker on Thursday released new guidelines for the Play Store announcing that it is starting a pilot programme allowing distribution of such apps through the Play Store.
The US tech giant and platforms like PayTM and Dream11 have been engaged in a longstanding tussle on the issue. The gambling policies for Google’s Play Store barred these companies from distributing their apps to Android users through Google’s platform, even as Apple’s App Store allowed them to do so. The platforms had argued that multiple courts in India have ruled DFS and rummy as games of skill, thereby separating them from gambling. Google’s pilot will begin from 28 September and run for a year, during which developers of DFS and rummy apps can list on Play Store if they fulfil certain conditions. These include rules like being incorporated in India and having safeguards in place like age validation to prevent children from using it. “We are constantly exploring ways for local developers to build successful businesses and offer delightful experiences on Google Play. Through this pilot program, we are taking a measured approach that will help us collate learnings and retain an enjoyable and safe experience for our users,” Google said.
While some in the industry have welcomed the move, not everyone is happy. In fact, some industry stakeholders called it discriminatory, raising concerns over the omission of real money gaming platforms from the pilot. They called Google’s move “discriminatory” and a display of “abuse of dominant position” by Google.
For instance, Saumya Singh Rathore, co-founder of online gaming platform WinZO, said “While a change of stance by Google to finally open its platform to real money gaming apps is welcome, the selective exclusion of all real money skill games except rummy and fantasy is discriminatory.”
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First Published:8 Sep 2022, 11:00 AM IST
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