Image credits: Omar Marquez/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Google announced today that the company plans to support more real money games (RMG) on the Play Store this year by allowing more game types in the category that follow local laws.
The program, which has expanded support for real money games, will launch in India, Brazil and Mexico in June, and is scheduled to roll out to more countries in the future, the search giant said.
Google is also considering a new service fee model for subscriptions and in-app purchases. However, the company did not reveal many details about the discount it will take from developers.
“With this policy update, we will also evolve our service fee model for RMG to reflect the value that Google Play provides and to help maintain the Android and Play ecosystems. We are working to “We will work closely with developers to ensure our new approach reflects the unique economics and different developer revenue models in the industry.”
Typically, Google allows real money gaming apps governed by local regulatory frameworks for a specific type. With the change in policy, the company will allow more types of real money gaming apps, which are legal but unregulated.
Google started working on including real money gaming apps on the Play Store in 2021. In 2022, it began a trial in India to allow fantasy sports and Rummy apps on the local Play Store. Last year, Google provided an extension for already approved apps until January 15. With the latest announcement, trial applications will have a grace period until June 30.
In 2020, Google pulled the Paytm app from the Play Store because the app included newly introduced fantasy sports elements.
The pilot also had regulations around age verification and identity verification. Google began a similar trial in Mexico last November, which will also extend to June 30. Developers will then be able to publish real money gaming apps on the Play Store beyond fantasy sports categories.
Google said it will publish detailed policies about the change in the next few months, but they will include guardrails such as age limits and geographic restrictions.
New service fees on real-money games will be a major factor in Google Play Store revenue as the company faces worldwide scrutiny for allowing developers to use alternative payment methods. It typically offers a 4% discount on service fees under its User Choice billing program, which was piloted in 2022 and still has select partners.