New Delhi: Google’s regulatory problems in India are increasing. After facing severe penalties from Competition Commission of India (CCI) In 2022, the US tech giant now faces another investigation by the Fair Play regulator following a complaint filed by gaming company WinZO over its alleged abuse of its dominant position in the Play Store and Android mobile device ecosystem. is
Finding a prima facie case, the CCI on Thursday directed its investigative arm to look into the matter and file a report within 60 days. “Considering the totality of the facts and circumstances of the present case, the Commission is of the prima facie view that Google appears to be in violation…which warrants a detailed investigation. Accordingly, Commission Director General orders an inquiry into …,” the CCI bench, comprising Chairperson Ronit Kaur and three members, said. A spokesperson representing Google did not comment on the matter when contacted.
WinZO, an online digital gaming platform, alleged that Google’s app aggregator Play Store bans hosting gaming applications that offer real money games. “Due to Google’s unreasonable and restrictive policy, all apps are offering Real money games The talent is only available for download from their website (a process called sideloading),” he told CCI, adding that when users access WinZO through this process on Android devices, The operating system displays a disclaimer/warning, which tarnishes its image.
WinZO said the display of the warning lacks any merit or reason and is “completely illegal”, adding that it harms business.
It also said that Google displays another “baseless warning” when a user pays them to play skill-based games. “Such payment warnings are arbitrary as Google has not set any criteria for displaying such warnings,” WinZO had said in its complaint to the CCI.
The gaming company also alleged that while banning their presence on the App Store, Google had allowed Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and Rummy to be downloaded on the Play Store as part of a pilot project. It said the move would “level the playing field and create a false impression of the legitimacy of DFS and rummy over all other games of skill.” It called the move “discriminatory and arbitrary, an abuse of its dominant position”.
When contacted, WinZO said the CCI investigation would “remove the unfair restrictions imposed by Google… which have severely affected innovation and competition in India’s gaming ecosystem.”