Google proposes Play Store changes for Indian gaming

Google has proposed major changes to its Play Store and advertising policies in India, following an antitrust case by local gaming platform WinZO.

The proposal would allow more real-money gaming apps, as long as they are legal under Indian law and certified as a “game of skill” by a recognized third-party body.

Currently, only select games like daily fantasy sports and rummy are allowed under a 2022 pilot program.

The new plan would expand access to other real-money games.

Google also plans to update its developer and advertising policies. If approved, compliant apps could be available within 120 days.

The Competition Commission of India’s investigation into Google is still ongoing.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ App store content moderation faces sophisticated circumvention tactics

Google’s requirement for third-party verification directly addresses a persistent challenge in mobile app oversight, where developers use technical tricks to bypass platform reviews.

Security researchers previously discovered hundreds of fake gambling apps that infiltrated both iOS App Store and Google Play by employing “switch” features that hid gambling content during the review process1.

These operations used command-and-control servers to coordinate behavior across multiple counterfeit applications, with some fake apps achieving over 100,000 downloads and ranking in platform Top 100 lists1.

The proposed framework requiring proof from authoritative third-party bodies like the All India Gaming Federation represents a shift from relying solely on internal review processes to external validation.

This approach highlights that traditional app store review mechanisms face challenges against increasingly sophisticated actors who can manipulate app behavior post-approval.

2️⃣ India’s massive real-money gaming market drives policy evolution

The proposed changes reflect the enormous scale of India’s real-money gaming sector, which generates ₹274.38 billion ($3 billion) annually and represents 86% of the country’s total online gaming revenue.