Google India removed the Paytm app from the Android Play Store for several hours on Friday, accusing it of violating its policies on gambling before restoring it later in the day after India’s largest startup complied with the tech giant’s rules.
Google opposed Paytm’s integration of real money gaming apps or websites into its main payments app, said a person familiar with the development.
With the IPL season just around the corner, Google India through a blog post on Friday reiterated its gambling guidelines for app developers. Paytm’s fantasy sports app, Paytm First Games, was also pulled from the Android Play Store.
“We do not allow online casinos or support unregulated gambling applications that facilitate sports betting. This includes if an application takes consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it is a violation of our policies, “says the Google blog post.
With nearly 100 million downloads, the removal of Paytm can have a serious impact on the digital ecosystem. Paytm also competes with Google Pay in the digital payments market in India.
See full image
A Paytm spokesperson said it received an email from Google about the suspension on Friday without any prior warning. According to SoftBank-backed Paytm, Google took this action because of Paytm’s two new cash back schemes that allowed users to earn scratch cards on its platform during IPL.
The spokesperson claimed that the removal violated competition rules as Google Pay competes directly with the company.
“This is quite an aggressive move by Google. The question is whether Google should have the “powers” to qualify an initiative (around payments) as a game; especially when they have a commercial interest in the ecosystem, with this amount of energy. Clearly, this move shows that they are a ‘regulator’ of India’s digital ecosystem and can suspend any application, which is not a good place for India’s digital gamers, “said the spokesperson.
According to Paytm, Google sent Paytm a written communication two weeks ago, regarding its First Games app. He denied that the matter was related to the ban of the Paytm application in the Play Store.
The Paytm First Games ban may be due to the efforts of the Indian Fantasy Sports Federation (FIFS), which said Google was favoring certain fantasy game apps, hinting at Paytm First Games, a second person said not wanting take part. named.
“We note that Google has been using its policies and regulations selectively allowing some large companies to distribute and list their respective real money gaming applications on the Play Store, without any hindrance,” according to the letter sent to FIFS members.
The most popular online gaming platforms, including Dream 11, WinZO, and Mobile Premier League (MPL), which allow users to pay and then reward them with cash prizes, are either not listed or removed from the Play Store. MPL was launched on the Play Store in October 2018 and was removed in May 2019.
.
