Google has announced plans to support more real-money games (RMG) on the Play Store this year by allowing a wider variety of games in this category, while also adapting to local laws.
The company has stated that it will start this extended support program for real-money gaming in India, Brazil, and Mexico in June, with plans to expand to more countries in the future.
Google is also considering a new service fee model for subscriptions and in-app purchases; however, specific details about the company’s share of developers’ earnings have not been disclosed.
“With this policy update, we will also be evolving our service fee model for RMG to reflect the value Google Play provides and to help sustain the Android and Play ecosystems. We are working closely with developers to ensure our new approach reflects the unique economics and various developer earning models of this industry,” said Karan Gambhir, Director, Global Trust & Safety Partnerships at Google in a blog post.
Historically, Google has only allowed real-money gaming apps that are governed by local regulatory frameworks for a specific type. With this policy change, the company will permit more types of real-money gaming apps that are legal but not regulated.
Google began working on including real-money gaming apps on the Play Store in 2021. In 2022, it initiated a pilot program in India to allow fantasy sports and Rummy apps on the local Play Store. Last year, Google provided an extension to already approved apps until January 15. With the latest announcement, the pilot apps will have a grace period until June 30.
In 2020, Google removed Paytm’s app from the Play Store due to the inclusion of newly introduced fantasy sports elements.
The pilot program also included regulations for age and ID verification. Google started a similar pilot in Mexico last November, which will also extend to June 30. After that, developers will be able to publish their real-money gaming apps on the Play Store beyond fantasy sports categories.
Google has announced that it will publish detailed policies surrounding the changes in the next few months, which will include restrictions such as age limits and geographical restrictions.
The introduction of a new service fee for real-money games will be a key factor for Google Play Store’s revenue, as the company faces scrutiny worldwide to allow developers to use alternative payment methods. It typically provides a 4% discount on service fees under its user-choice billing program, which was piloted in 2022 and still has select partners.
