Rumors of Google relaxing its strict anti-gambling app rules have been circulating for months before it finally became a for just three countries.
For years, no matter where, the Google Play Store Terms and Conditions read the following:
“We don’t allow content or services that facilitate online gambling, including but not limited to, online casinos, sports betting, lotteries, or games of skill that offer prizes of cash or other value.”
The anti-gambling app rule was first established in 2013 after gambling software companies had many well documented legal issues.
The legal status of different games in different regions became a headache and Google wasn't sure it could continue providing gambling apps and abide by the laws of each individual country.
However, in August 2, 2017, Google sent out an email to developers in the UK, France, and Ireland with news of a change in policy. Now Google would allow gambling apps in their stores for only these three countries. While no one knows exactly why they decided to change their stance, it's a fact that the online gambling market has become too big to ignore, even to a giant like Google.
Real-money Casino and Sports betting apps have jumped to the market, and Winamax is the first real money poker room to break into the French Play Store.
Many of the issues that drove Google to ban gambling still remain, however, so they are closely vetting who they allow in their platform. The app developers can enter the Play Store only if they abide by a strict set of rules, such as:
- App must comply with all applicable laws and industry standards for any country in which it is distributed;
- Developer must have a valid gambling license for each country in which the app is distributed;
- App must prevent under-age users from gambling in the app;
- App must prevent use from countries not covered by the developer-provided gambling license;
- App must NOT use Google payments services, including Google Play In-app Billing;
Failure to abide by this set of restrictions will cause the app being pulled out of the platform and, potentially, ruining it for the rest of us.