Google’s Big Bet on India’s $3B Real-Money Gaming Market
Google is making a big play in India’s booming mobile gaming market.
The tech giant has proposed to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) that it will allow all compliant real-money games (RMGs) on the Play Store, a major shift from its current limited pilot that only permits Daily Fantasy Sports and Rummy.
The proposal comes amid an ongoing antitrust probe triggered by WinZO Games, which accused Google of creating an uneven playing field by selectively onboarding certain RMG titles. If approved, Google’s “Play Commitment” would give equal access to all developers who can prove their game is a legally permissible “game of skill” under Indian law.
The changes wouldn’t stop at distribution. Google is also pushing an “Ads Commitment” to allow the promotion of skill-based games via Google Ads, provided developers can show third-party certification from recognized bodies like the All India Gaming Federation.
India’s RMG sector is huge, making up 86% of the country’s $3B online gaming revenue in 2024, and Google’s move could see a wave of new titles hitting its storefront. This would also pull many APK-only games into the official Play ecosystem, giving Google a fresh slice of ad and in-app purchase revenue.
If the CCI signs off, compliant RMGs could hit the Play Store within 120 days, with ad policy changes following in 150 days. But the antitrust probe is still active, and Google is simultaneously fighting other Play Store dominance cases in India’s Supreme Court.
For developers, this could be a game-changer, literally. For Google, it’s both a regulatory olive branch and a revenue power-up in one of the fastest-growing mobile gaming markets in the world.
