Google to allow all real-money games on Play Store
NEW DELHI : Android maker Google on Friday said it will start allowing all real-money games on its Play Store marketplace, as long as they are not illegal under local regulations. The move follows a September 2022 pilot allowing online rummy games and what Google classified as ‘daily fantasy sports’, and will be brought into effect after the pilot ends on 30 June.
The move was welcomed by the online gaming industry, which is reeling from demands of more than ₹1.5 trillion ($18 billion) from India's tax regulator. However, there could be concerns over the kinds of commissions that Google would charge from real-money games.
A blog-post published on Thursday by Karan Gambhir, director of global trust and safety partnerships at Google, said the company will be “evolving (the) service fee model for RMG (real money gaming) to reflect the value Google Play provides, and to help sustain Android and Play ecosystems". Gambhir added that Google is working with industry stakeholders to “ensure our new approach reflects the unique economics and various developer earning models of this industry".
Two officials close to the development, who requested anonymity, said there has been no concrete discussion on what Google's fees would be, and that a decision on it could only be taken in the months to come. Google has historically charged developers a ‘service fee’ of 15% of payments received through the Play Store listing for up to $1 million in the developer’s annual revenue, and 30% for above $1 million.
For developers that use third-party billing systems, Google charges 11% and 26% for the same revenue threshold. One of the officials cited above told Mint that such a model would prove to be “impractical and unrealistic" in case of
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