Google is ready to permit more real-money games to be published on the Play Store for Android users. What this means is that people will get more options/apps from which they can earn real money, which has been a limited space for Google till date. The company is bringing these changes to many countries, including India from June 2024.
The real-money gaming (RMG) category is a big earner in other countries, and looking at India’s projected market for online gaming and spending, Google clearly feels the need to enter the market, especially in this gaming vertical.
The RMG section will include daily fantasy sports (DFS) and Rummy apps for users in India. Google says once the pilot is finished by June 30 this year, users will start seeing them available on the Play Store, from where they can install the app and play the complying games on their phones.
“After that time, developers can distribute RMG apps on Google Play to users in India, beyond DFS and Rummy, in compliance with local laws and our updated policy,” as mentioned in this Android blog post. While Android users might be happy to hear Google changes its mind about the RMG segment, developers will be keeping a close eye on how the company plans to charge them for the app commissions.
As you might know, Google charges anywhere between 15 and 30 percent from app developers, but that ruling might not make sense for these gaming apps, especially in India, where they are already being taxed by the country’s government.
Google realises the different nature of this market, and talks about working on better models for developers. “We will also be evolving our service fee model for RMG to reflect the value Google Play provides. We are working closely with developers to ensure our new approach reflects the unique economics and various developer earning models of this industry,” as pointed out in the blog post.
The company has always kept a tight control on the apps and the policies that comply with local laws. It will need to be clearer about its strategy in the country, which may or may not see multiple tweaks in the coming months.
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