Competition Commission of India to Investigate Google’s Strict Real-Money Gaming App Policy

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Competition Commission of India to Investigate

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’s Strict Real-Money Gaming App Policy

India’s competition watchdog on Thursday ordered a probe into

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’s restrictive policies for real-money games on its platform, following a complaint by online gaming platform WinZO that called it discriminatory.

The move compounds

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’s regulatory headaches in India, where it has already been hit with at least two penalties for abusing its dominant position in the Android operating system market.

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did not immediately respond to requests for comment made after working hours in India and with the Thanksgiving holiday in the ******* States.

WinZO, which offers real-money games, first approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2022, after a change in the US company’s gaming app policy continued to exclude WinZO from

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’s Play Store, even as it accepted some of its competitors.

The updated

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policy allowed real-money games for fantasy sports and rummy, but WinZO was rejected as it also offered games in other categories that

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does not accept, such as the Indian game of carrom, puzzles and car racing.

“By granting preferential treatment to select app categories,

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effectively creates a two-tier market where some developers are accorded superior access and visibility while others are discriminated against and thus, left with a competitive disadvantage,” a copy of the CCI order stated.

A CCI official is expected to complete its investigation into the matter within 60 days.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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#Competition #Commission #India #Investigate #Googles #Strict #RealMoney #Gaming #App #Policy

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