Google has decided to halt its plans to impose service fees on real money gaming apps globally, including in India, and has put on hold its expansion into other formats.
This decision comes as a relief to skill-based gaming companies, which were facing uncertainty due to the proposed fees.
Extension of Grace Period for Indian Gaming Apps
A Google spokesperson mentioned that the expansion of support for real-money gaming apps in markets without a centralized licensing framework has posed unexpected challenges.
Therefore, Google needs more time to address these issues for its developer partners. As a result, Google is extending the grace period indefinitely for developers participating in the India pilot program for daily fantasy sports (DFS) and rummy apps.
According to the spokesperson, “We are working to develop a better framework and also extending the grace period of the pilot program, so that existing apps offering DFS and rummy games in India can continue to run and users can continue to benefit from it. Hopefully we will have more updates in the coming time.”
Pilot Program Background and Current Status
Initially announced to launch in January of this year, Google’s plan included the introduction of various real-money gaming apps and the imposition of service fees on them.
The rollout was set to begin in India, Mexico, and Brazil from June 2024, with further expansion planned for additional countries.
Google conducted a one-year pilot program in India starting September 2022, during which developers were allowed to publish fantasy sports and rummy apps on Google Play.
While the pilot program officially ended on September 28, 2023, developers enrolled in the program will continue to be available on Google Play until June 30, 2024.
