Recently, Google has announced to start a pilot to allow fantasy sports and rummy apps on Play Store in India, according to the industry experts the tech giants approach is “clearly discriminatory”, and it should have a more inclusive approach of adding other games of skill under the umbrella of its pilot for local developers.
Starting at September 28, Play Store will commence a limited-time pilot allowing for the distribution of daily fantasy sports (DFS) and Rummy apps to users in India made by the developers incorporated in India.
“Games of skill is a broad category and fantasy gaming and rummy are just two game formats considered in this pilot programme by Google. Poker too is considered a game of skill by several High courts in India. Likewise, there are numerous developers who offer classic and innovative games of skill,” said Roland Landers, chief executive officer (CEO) of All India Gaming Federation (AIGF).
He said that Google Play Store has almost 95% market share of app distribution platforms in India.
“This approach by Google will especially be challenging for MSMEs and new developers/platforms who will not be able to compete with established companies as their varied skill game offerings will be kept out of the Play Store ecosystem,” added Landers.
He said that Google Play Store has almost 95% market share of app distribution platforms in India. Moreover, India has seen a sudden rise in e-sports, where players like Dream11 and Mobile Premier League (MPL) are now ruling the turf.
