WinZo challenges Google’s ‘select apps’ pilot project on Play Store

WinZo said that Google’s policy can lead to “distortions” in the competitive Indian gaming ecosystem. (AP File Photo)

Online gaming company WinZo has sued Google over a recent pilot project under which it will allow fantasy gaming and rummy apps on Play Store for a year. In its legal filing with the Delhi High Court, the gaming company said that Google’s policy will result in benefiting only a handful of players who are already in “monopoly” for over a decade.

Arguing that the tech giant’s pilot leaves out a large segment of online skill games, WinZo has sought restraint against Google from implementing its “arbitrary classification” of online gaming which could impact the gaming company’s business.

Explained

Removed apps earlier

Google, which earlier removed fantasy gaming apps and rummy games from Play Store, will allow select apps to operate on its platform under a pilot project for a year beginning September 28.

Earlier this month, Google changed its long held stance on disallowing fantasy games on its Play Store in India, as

the company announced a limited period pilot to allow such real-money games like daily fantasy sports (DFS) and rummy apps on its app marketplace.

However, other forms of online games including real money gaming, where users pool in money to play games like chess, ludo etc., have not been allowed under the pilot. Only apps that exclusively offer fantasy and rummy games have been allowed.

DFS games are those where contestants use their knowledge of athletic events and athletes to select or manage rosters of simulated athletes whose performance directly corresponds with the actual performance of human athletes on sports teams or in sports events.

WinZo said that Google’s policy can lead to “distortions” in the competitive Indian gaming ecosystem by resulting in unparalleled access to the 2.5 billion monthly active users across 190 countries where the Google Play Store is available.

The fantasy sports market in the country is projected to grow from Rs 34,600 crore in FY21 to an estimated Rs 1,65,000 crore by FY25, as per a report by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sport (FIFS) and Deloitte. The fantasy sports market in India has a user base of around 13 crore — the highest anywhere in the world.

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Even amid regulatory uncertainty, the sector has seen three startups – Dream11, Mobile Premier League, and Games 24×7 – turn unicorn, i.e. private companies with a valuation of $1 billion or more.

In a statement, WInZo’s co-founder Saumya Singh Rathore said, “Google Play, as a market leader, has a duty to act in a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner. There does not seem to be a reason for selecting only DFS and Rummy. There is no engagement with industry to find out the dynamics. There is no evaluation of the impact that is likely to result from such a clearly discriminatory and arbitrary classification”.

Soumyarendra Barik

Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers’ rights, privacy, India’s prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More

First uploaded on: 21-09-2022 at 03:16 IST