Newsletter
It has emerged that the Google Play Store will begin accepting gambling apps in the US and 14 other countries. As announced by the company themselves this will begin on March 1.
Gambling apps are big business but for a long while have been restricted on the Google Play Store. In 2017 the Play Store began allowing these apps in very select markets. These included the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France but did not extend any further.
With a large range of apps about to become available to US users, this could change the scene of online gambling across the country. However, there are still a number of restrictions on access to gambling apps.
Rules vary from state to state and from country to country so it can be complicated to work out the rules for your area. Below we will outline exactly what this change means.
Play Store to begin allowing gambling apps in the US
15 countries have been granted access to gambling apps on the Play Store. These are as follows; Australia, Belgium, Canada, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the US.
Rules vary from country to country on exactly what apps are allowed. Sports betting is allowed across all fifteen countries whilst those in Australia, Japan and New Zealand will not have access to online casino games.
Some countries such as Japan will also allow access to government-operated lotteries. Generally speaking, most countries can lotteries and daily fantasy sports betting with a few exceptions. To see the full list see the report from Android Police.
Things get even more complex when you turn to the US. Rules and access vary from state to state so do check the comprehensive list if you are unsure on what applies to you.
As of March 1, online casino betting will be available in Delaware, Nevada (poker only), New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Things expand slightly when it comes to sports betting. Colorado, District of Columbia (gov’t operators), Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Montana (gov’t operators), Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon (gov’t operators), Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, West Virginia will all have access to these services.
Only those in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia will have access to lotteries.
This looks to be an interesting move from Google to expand this access. The company points out that India publishers may be the main beneficiaries of this move. This is because many of these companies hold contests during festivals and spotlight product launches.