Google has announced it will be supporting more real-money gaming apps on its Play Store in India from June later this year.
Google Play has already been supporting real-money gaming, or RMG, apps under a pilot program it had stared in India in 2022.
The firm said that on the basis of its findings and response to such games, like Rummy – a virtual card game -- and Daily Fantasy Sports, it will now be hosting more such games from developers in India, Mexico, and Brazil.
"Based on the learnings from the pilots and positive feedback from users and developers, Google Play will begin supporting more RMG apps this year, including game types and operators 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," Google-owned Android said in a press release.
It added, "We’re pleased that this new approach will provide new business opportunities to developers globally while continuing to prioritize user safety. It also enables developers currently participating in RMG pilots in India and Mexico to continue offering their apps on Play."
The company said it was extending the pilot program for Rummy and Daily Fantasy Sports till June 30, after which developers will be able to "distribute RMG apps on Google Play to users in India, beyond DFS and Rummy, in compliance with local laws and our updated policy."
The original Pilot Program that began in September 2022, ended in September 2023, after which the company had extended the program to January 15 this year.
According to India's Public Gambling Act 1867, betting on games, such as card and board games, is illegal. The law, however, makes no mention of online games and instances of online gaming for money are decided on a case-to-case basis.
Market stats website Statista has predicted the online gambling market in India to reach $2.58 billion by 2028, growing by a CAGR of almost 7 per cent in the period.
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