Google to permit Real Money Gaming apps on its store

Google on Thursday said it would allow more real-money gaming apps on its App Stores, including those titles not covered by an existing licensing framework.

"We’ll launch this expanded RMG support in June to developers for their users in India, Mexico, and Brazil, and plan to expand to users in more countries in the future," Karan Gambhir–Director, Global Trust and Safety Partnerships, said in a blogpost.

"With this policy update, we will also be evolving our service fee model for RMG to reflect the value Google Play provides and to help sustain the Android and Play ecosystems. We are working closely with developers to ensure our new approach reflects the unique economics and various developer earning models of this industry," he added.

Google will extend the grace period for RMG apps already on the app store till June 30, after which the new policy will kick in, Gambhir added. Since September 2022, Google has run an application-only pilot programme to enable the distribution of DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) and Rummy game apps developed by game developers from India. The pilot was scheduled to end on January 15 but has now been extended.

According to Roland Landers, the CEO of All India Gaming Federation, the move is expected to boost revenue for companies in the sector where 70% of the revenue is generated by Pay to Play platforms.

"We welcome this progressive decision by Google to allow all Pay to Play skill games on the Play Store. We have been advocating the same for and believe that this will give a big boost to the Indian online gaming industry," Landers said in a statement.

Most gaming companies were expecting to adapt to the new GST regulations this year.

The regulation—which stipulates that companies now have to pay a 28% tax on player deposits—was largely detrimental to gaming companies last year, with some players having to resort to layoffs to absorb the blow.