Google allows 15 more nations to offer gambling in the Play store
- Reference: 1611896467
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/01/29/google_expands_gambling_app_availability/
- Source link:
Only the UK, France, Ireland, and Brazil were previously allowed to offer such apps. Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the USA will now also offer gambling apps as of March 1st.
[1]
The new rules permit casino games, lotteries, sports betting and “Daily Fantasy Sports” games, but only after developers register with Google and prove they are licenced operators of such games in the relevant jurisdiction.
Google won’t take a cut because such apps must be free, and Google Play In-app Billing is forbidden to developers of such apps.
[2]
The company has not said why it has expanded access to gambling apps.
Another change to Google’s [3]policy on apps that allow users to play with actual money changes the rules for a type of in-app promotion that has become popular in India.
Londoner admits illegally accessing National Lottery accounts [4]READ MORE
Google’s Indian blog [5]points out that the nation’s app developers are pioneers of loyalty schemes that are “based on a qualified monetary transaction in the app and offer prizes of cash or other real-world value” and mentions consultation with start-ups as a reason for its revised policy.
Left unsaid was that in late 2020 Google banned popular India payments app Paytm over a virtual scratch-card promotion that offered cash rebates. That ban led to some textbook outrage as India’s tech and media communities argued that Google was discriminating against local tech companies.
The new rules state: “Loyalty program benefits, perks, or rewards must be clearly supplementary and subordinate to any qualifying monetary transaction within the app” and that “no portion of the qualifying monetary transaction may represent a fee or wager to participate in the loyalty program”.
[6]
Paytm has not commented publicly on the changes at the time of writing. ®
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[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YBPq1frehO80mcfpFSKiZgAAAMM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YBPq1frehO80mcfpFSKiZgAAAMM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10318510
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2019/12/12/anwar_batson_national_lottery_hack/
[5] https://india.googleblog.com/2021/01/simplifying-our-play-store-policies-on.html
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YBPq1frehO80mcfpFSKiZgAAAMM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
You mean Robinhood will finally be available in the US?
Wrong way round.
Gambling tends to rob from the poor and give to the rich.
So instead of Google inventing whatever rules they choose based on whatever misguided morals some unelected random person within their organization thinks is a good idea, they are being forced into actually obeying the country specific laws. Some countries permit gambling, others dont. Whether thats right or wrong is a totally different argument. And no we dont have any gambling apps!.
As for Google wanting to take their commission: Er, well its mandatory for the apps to be free to download and they are explictly banned from using any Google In App purchase mechanism - basically to comply with laws - so where exactly is the commission for Google in this?
There's various things Google doesn't do either for moral reasons or because it's bad PR (assuming it makes a difference for them). They don't allow ads for guns. They don't allow porn on YouTube. If they allow gambling in some countries but not others, either it's because of PR it would bring them in those countries, or it's because they find regulations too burdensome.
Gambling apps
Fools and their money...
Gambling 4.0
Not directly related, but I noticed that almost all ads I get in casual games are like "walk to get Paypal money" or "spin the wheel to get Paypal money" or "simply exist as a carbon-based lifeform to get Paypal money". Some show short videos of ecstatic people getting hundreds of dollars. All are variants of "you must get 20 tokens to receive a gift card of 20 dollars" but you need to watch a bajillion ads to get the tokens.
[end of rant] I wonder how are those apps allowed and why Paypal does nothing about it -- the scumbags use Paypal's name to appear credible!
They don't care.... they just want their commission. So irresponsible