Real money casino game apps from the Google Play store have been paused due to regulatory confusion – affecting India, Brazil, and Mexico. (Image by pathum_danthanarayana on unsplash)
Google Play Store has been running an experiment that involves allowing real-money gaming (RMG) apps.
Before you get excited, you won’t have access to these games unless you are from India, Brazil, or Mexico. For our readers from India, RMG apps have been accessible to players in the country despite the ‘crazy gambling tax’ we reported on just yesterday.
You can read more about that story here. India 28% ‘Crazy Gambling Tax’ Disaster Continues.
As for the Google Play experiment, the test launch of real-money gaming (RMG) apps has hit a brick wall due to regulatory issues.
These countries are still in the midst of setting up proper regulatory frameworks to control online gambling. Although there are some rules regarding real-money gambling in these countries, it appears Google has run into challenges in its search to find a centralised authority to deal with the proper licensing of these games.
This is a scenario we are also familiar with here at Casinoplusbonus. We still await news on how India will create a centralised licensing authority. Another area I’ve been covering in our casino news with my last update published in January 2023 in the following news story – India Publishes Proposed iGaming Regulations.
India’s iGaming Regulatory Woes
There has been progress in forming an iGaming framework to regulate online gambling. However, the problem is that individual states have their own rules and don’t want interference from the central government, leading to delays and discrepancies.
The central government has now introduced rules to regulate online gambling, establishing self-regulatory bodies (SRBs) to oversee the sector. Despite the central government’s efforts to regulate betting and gambling, current gambling laws remain a state subject under the Indian Constitution.
It is the state-level laws where the discrepancies arise, causing variations in enforcement and legal standards across different states. This is likely why Google has paused introducing new real-money gaming (RMG) apps in India.
Brazil and Mexico’s Situation: We don’t cover these countries here on Casinoplusbonus, but I assume the situation in both countries is similar.
The Future of Google Play Store RMG Apps
One of the publications Google announced that the RMG games were being piloted was the Android Developers Blog. You can read the article here for more information – New Approach to Real-Money Games on Google Play.
For the time being, the test is still on going, so any games already released on the Google Play Store will remain in place. These RMG apps and games are a mix of real money gambling entertainment verticals, which have been listed below:
- Casino Games: Download casinos and real money games like Blackjack, Roulette, online slots, and poker.
- Sports Betting: These are downloadable apps for sportsbooks.
- Fantasy Sports: DFS and other fantasy sports games have become increasingly popular in the real money gambling sphere. Participants can join leagues by entering with real money, contributing to a prize pool paid to the top positions on the fantasy sport’s leaderboard.
- Skill-Based Games: This includes games like chess, rummy, and bridge, and in a way, fantasy sports also fall under this category. These games require players to ante up a real money stake, and the winner takes it all, i.e., the most skilful player!
- Lottery and Bingo: There are several virtual lottery and bingo options available.
Once regulations become clearer in the three countries where Google is test piloting its Google Play Store RMG Apps, the company will likely continue to release more apps.
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