Technology
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CCI closes Google antitrust probe on gaming apps
Business Standard··9 Sept
The Competition Commission of India closed its antitrust inquiry into Google's real-money gaming policies after WinZO Games complained in 2022. The CCI ordered a detailed investigation in November 2024 but cited exceptional developments including Parliament's Online Gaming Act taking force on May 1, 2026. Google discontinued its pilot programme in January 2026. The regulator said no meaningful relief survives.
Prism
What It Means For You
- The Act prohibits online money gaming services without distinguishing games of skill from chance.
- Google's commitment application was at an advanced stage when the investigation was kept in abeyance.
- WinZO had alleged Google allowed only daily fantasy sports and rummy apps under a pilot programme.
What's Happening
- CCI said the prima facie order recorded only a preliminary view, not a determined contravention.
- Google proposed allowing legally permissible skill-based real-money games subject to certification requirements.
- The watchdog said Parliament had occupied the field with the new prohibition.
Timeline of the case
- WinZO approached CCI in 2022 alleging restrictions on real-money games on Google Play and ads.
- CCI ordered a detailed probe in November 2024 after a prima facie abuse-of-dominance view.
- Google filed and revised commitment applications in 2025 before the Act changed the market.
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