Google says will remove apps that facilitate sports betting from Play Store

PTI, Sep 18, 2020, 3:01 PM IST

New Delhi: Google on Friday said it does not allow apps facilitating sports betting and will remove such apps from the Google Play Store.

There is often a surge in launch of such apps before major sporting tournaments like the IPL. The latest season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to start from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates.

“We don’t allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. This includes if an app leads 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,” Google said in a blog post.

It added that these policies are in place to protect users from potential harm.

Google did not specify if any apps have been removed for non-compliance on these grounds.

Further, Google said that when an app violates these policies, it notifies the developer of the violation and removes the app from Google Play until the developer brings the app into compliance.

“And in the case where there are repeated policy violations, we may take more serious action which may include terminating Google Play Developer accounts. Our policies are applied and enforced on all developers consistently,” the blog posted by Android Security and Privacy Vice President Product Suzanne Frey said.

The tech giant also said that Google Play is designed to provide a safe and secure experience for consumers while also giving developers the platform and tools they need to build sustainable businesses.

“Our global policies have always been designed with that goal in mind, considering the good of all our stakeholders. We have the same goals for our gambling policy,” it said.