India Investigates Google Over Real Money Gaming App Practices

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has started looking into Google after Winzo, a real money gaming (RMG) platform, said Google was misusing its power in the RMG field. Winzo claims Google’s rules favor some apps over others, which creates an unfair market. The CCI is now checking to see if these claims are true and if Google is indeed breaking any rules.

Winzo Challenges Google’s Selective Support for DFS and Rummy Apps

Winzo’s complaint draws attention to Google’s pilot program, which began in September 2022. This program allowed Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and Rummy apps on the Play Store. The company argued that this selective inclusion gave an unfair boost to certain competitors. For example, Dream11 saw a big jump in users during the program, while other platforms did not get the same chances, reported The Indian Express. 

Winzo also criticized Google’s advertising rules. These rules stopped non-DFS and Rummy apps from running ads, which limited how far they could reach in the market. What is more, Winzo said that Google Pay showed warnings that might scare users when they tried to make in-app payments for sideloaded apps. This could stop users from using these platforms.

In its initial investigation, the CCI worried about how Google’s actions hurt competition. It said the long-running pilot program that some could join made a “two-tier market.” The Commission pointed out that these practices made it hard for other RMG apps to get into the market, held back new ideas, and gave chosen platforms unfair advantages. The watchdog also stressed that Google’s rules on ads and app hosting seemed to break parts of the Competition Act about misusing a strong market position.

Google Justifies Inclusion of DFS and Rummy in Test Program, Citing Indian Law

Google stood up for its actions pointing to India’s scattered gaming rules as the main reason for being careful. It said it included games like DFS and Rummy in the test run because Indian courts see them as skill-based, in line with the law. The company insisted it used its rules the same way for everyone and denied playing favorites. It said the test program aimed to get a better grip on the changing real-money gaming scene in India. Google also said its warnings on Google Pay were meant to make transactions safer for users.

This probe is yet another example of increased antitrust oversight on global tech giants doing business in India. It comes after recent CCI actions, including a penalty on Meta over similar claims of misusing market dominance. The results of this investigation could have wide-ranging effects on competition in India’s digital gaming scene and might establish an important precedent for how regulators approach this sector.