Android users in regions outside the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Brazil will soon be able to find and download real-money gambling apps from the Play Store. Google has updated its program policy to allow apps that “enable or facilitate online gambling” in 15 more countries, starting March 1. In addition to making gambling apps available on the Play Store, the policy change will also allow ads that promote real-money gambling to be shown to users in these regions.
The new countries covered by the change are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Of course, Google has a strict set of requirements that developers must meet in order to publish gambling apps on the Play Store. First, they must be an “approved government entity” and must have a “valid license to operate in that country for the type of online gambling product they want to offer.”
Their apps must also fall into one of these categories: online casino games, lotteries, and sports betting. Developers must also implement safeguards to keep underage users out of their apps and must prevent access from countries/regions not covered by their license. Additionally, apps must be free to download and not use Google Play’s in-app billing system.
The rules and types of apps that Google can approve vary by region due to different laws. In the US, rules vary by state, so some will be able to access casino games, for example, while others will not.
Information source: engadget.com
