Until the end of the year there may be many more real money games available on google play store (so-called real-money gaming, hereinafter RMG), i.e. at least in some parts of the world. Google started allowing RMG gaming apps as early as 2021 if they fell under a government-regulated game type. Now the company has announced that it is modifying its rules to allow more “types of games and their operators not covered by the existing licensing framework”. This opens up the Google Play Store to games that aren’t popular or played enough for local governments to create laws around.
Google says it has run several pilot programs in different parts of the world starting in 2021 to see how to support more operators and RMG-type game apps. In India, for example, its pilot tests included applications offering the card games Rummy and Daily Fantasy Sports. The company will implement its new policy in India, Mexico and Brazil starting June 30. After that, operators who are part of the pilot programs can release their existing apps like any other developer, as long as they comply with local laws.
The company said that plans to expand the availability of RMG in other regions in the futureand added that age requirements to access these games will remain. Developers will also still be required to geo-fence their products, so they will only be available where they are legal. Google further revealed that “evolves its fee-for-service model” for RMG game applications.
Source: engadget.com
