Veja Nogocios reported that Google will now allow the hosting of sports betting and online casino applications on its Brazil Play Store.

‘Tigrinho’ Betting Apps Heading to Google Play?

Previously, Google only allowed downloads for a small handful of betting apps in Brazil. These included those operated by the state-owned financial provider Caixa Econômica Federal and fixed-quota sports betting on platforms approved by the Ministry of Finance’s Prizes and Betting Secretariat.

These include the Loterias CAIXA app, which allows Android users to place bets on official CAIXA Lotteries.

This led many Android users to download their apps on “unofficial stores” or place bets via their browsers on the bookmaker and casino operators’ websites.

This was particularly true of Tigrinho slots games, whose popularity has skyrocketed in recent months in Brazil.

Originally, Tigrinho (“little tiger” in Portuguese) referred to an online gambling game named Fortune Tiger.

However, scores of similar and derivative titles have since sprung up in Brazil. None of these have been downloadable via the Play Store, despite their enormous popularity.

Last year, Tigrinho tutorials and “investment” tips took Brazilian social media platforms by storm.

Several Brazilian media outlets suggested that Google’s latest move will open the door to above-board Tigrinho downloads.

Companies that want to distribute their apps on Google Play must submit an official request to Google.

Only Secretariat-registered firms will be allowed to apply. App operators have also been instructed to ensure that they do not allow people under 18 years of age to download their software. Apps must also carry warnings about responsible gambling.

Google will also allow firms to promote their gaming platforms on Google Ads, provided they agree to the firm’s terms of use.

Will Apple Follow Suit?

Media outlets in Brazil claim that several companies in the gambling sector have already completed the application process and are awaiting a response from the Play Store.

They note that the first gambling apps “should start appearing on the platform in a matter of days.”

Apple, meanwhile, is yet to comment on the possibility of offering iOS online gambling and gaming apps in its Brazilian App Store.

In April, the Ministry of Justice ordered all online gambling platform operators in the country to register with a state-run complaints platform.

The post Google’s Gambling App U-Turn in Brazil Opens Door to Legal Betting and ‘Tigrinho’ Slots appeared first on CasinoBeats.

DMCA began as a shield for copyright holders but has been abused by bad actors to censor competitors and manipulate search rankings, inflicting financial harm. 

Recently, many affiliate sites have reported dozens, if not hundreds, of inaccurate notices, with Google invalidating only a small fraction of them. 

Fraudulent Takedowns Could Cost Companies Millions

The impact of false Google DMCA takedowns is significant in the gambling industry, where nefarious SEO tactics are being used to harm competitors for extended periods.

This is happening across some of the most valuable keywords in the online gambling industry, and as such, millions of dollars in revenue are switching hands due to fraudulent activity.

According to one newsroom SEO we spoke to: 

 “It’s fairly common to see DMCA Copyright requests with completely inaccurate claims in the news, especially related to stories about wealthy or powerful figures. The requests are bogus, and often the content is in a different language from the material being taken down.” 

“Much of the time, the entire takedown process is likely automated and triggered by new pages appearing in search for key people, places, and things. It’s supposed to take 14 days or so to appeal a decision, which usually has stories coming back well after they are newsworthy. I fight the most egregious ones, but that’s maybe one in 20.”

This growing threat highlights the DMCA’s vulnerabilities and underscores the criticisms that have been made of the current system.

Marketplaces Selling Takedown Services

Many freelancers offer DMCA takedown services on online marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork. These sellers and individuals often have high ratings and satisfaction rates for these services on these platforms.

This is an unsettling development for online publishers, as it indicates their content is very much at the whim of a certain individuals: the employees at Google who process these claims and can make an article disappear before any appeal can be made.

Understanding the DMCA

The DMCA was enacted in 1998. It was designed to protect intellectual property rights online by allowing copyright holders to request the removal of infringing content.

The relevant provision of the DMCA is Section 512 (Safe Harbor), which limits online service providers’ liability for user-generated content. However, to qualify for protection, the provider must have measures in place to remove allegedly infringing material upon receipt of a valid request.

Section 512 allows copyright holders to send a written notice to a service provider requesting the removal of material they believe infringes on their copyright. As long as the request appears valid, the service provider must comply swiftly.

If the user who supplied the content believes their material was removed in error, they can submit a counter-notice. The service provider must then restore the content unless the copyright owners initiate legal action against the alleged infringer. 

However, Section 512 allows the complaining party ten days to file their suit, and the material can’t be restored within that time. In effect, even a baseless takedown request will result in the material being offline for up to two weeks, which is a long time in news and the affiliate space.

DMCA’s Structural Weakness: Built for Speed, Not Fairness

According to the US Copyright Office, the DMCA was intended by Congress for copyright owners and service providers to cooperate, detect, and address copyright infringements. 

However, while this “notice-and-takedown” approach reduces the liability and burdens on platforms, it prioritizes speed over accuracy. 

Critics argue this approach also favors quick removals without a thorough review. That invites fraudsters to exploit loopholes by sending fake notices, overwhelming moderation systems. 

The Copyright Office acknowledges the flaws in the current law. The department conducted a study on Section 512. Its findings, published in 2020, concluded the current safe-harbor framework is “unbalanced.” 

The study identified several areas where the current implementation diverges from what Congress intended. Those include service-provider eligibility criteria, repeat-infringer policies, knowledge requirement standards, notice specificity, and the interplay between subpoenas and injunctions.

Based on the study’s findings, the Copyright Office does not recommend significant changes to section 512. Instead, it suggests that Congress “fine-tune” certain areas to “better balance the rights and responsibilities of online service providers and rightsholders in the creative industries.”

Evidence of Abuse

The scale of DMCA notices has grown significantly. Google’s Transparency Report shows hundreds of millions of URL removal requests annually. 

YouTube’s data shows that 6% of video-related takedown requests in 2024 were filed with false assertions of copyright ownership. 

Between 2019 and 2022, Lumen database logged nearly 34,000 DMCA false requests designed to remove legitimate news content. The perpetrators would use a “back-dating” tactic where they would republish the original content with a fake publication date chosen to be earlier than the original’s. They would then claim the original was infringing on their copy.

While 99% of those notices were unsuccessful, approximately 300 valid URLs were incorrectly removed. After that, the perpetrators would remove the copy, effectively erasing the information from the internet. 

However, it is not just news posts being taken down. Whole affiliate pages have been taken down as a result of abuse, causing significant financial damage to businesses. Additionally, copyright claims made have zero resemblance to any content on the sites they are allegedly taken from. 

In 2024, Lumen identified another 60,000 questionable notices. While their target appeared to be Turkish escort websites, the notices wrongly included URLs from local news outlets and other domains, many of which included the keyword “escort.”

Online gambling affiliates are also affected. After reaching out to multiple publishers, none would comment on the record.

However, one shared (above) with us that they had received just one response from Google to over 50 requests within a 30-day period. This was deemed invalid; the remaining 49 requests are outstanding, significantly exceeding the typical 14-to 18-day appeal window. 

Gambling Industry Abuse: Government Requests and Copyright Claims

A trend identified in the gambling industry affiliate space is spurious copyright claims, and fraudulent government requests.

Copyright claims have often been found to be made by non-existent entities, such as “Peasy IP Law” and “Ridgefield IP Law”, with mismatching details. 

The above example shows a fictional entity filing a complaint from Denmark, on a UK domain, on behalf of an entity based in Hong Kong. 

CasinoBeats also understands that a significant portion of government requests is also fraudulent. This is evidenced by numerous instances in Germany, while the German authorities do not initiate DCMA takedowns.

Furthermore, there are numerous examples of the UK Gambling Commission initiating takedowns. The sender varies from “The Gambling Commission” to “Gambling Commission” to “UK Gambling Commission” across different requests. 

The UKGC contacts offending sites, and none of the impacted webmasters contacted by CasinoBeats had received any communication from the regulator.  

Case Study: Google vs. the Vietnamese Duo

In November 2023, Google filed a lawsuit against two Vietnam-based men, Nguyen Van Duc and Pham Van Thien (plus up to 20 unnamed co-conspirators), for orchestrating a massive DMCA-abuse campaign.

Google alleged that the two men weaponized the copyright law’s notice-and-takedown system to sabotage competitors’ websites from search results. 

Allegedly, the perpetrators used at least 65 Gmail accounts to submit over 117,000 confirmed and almost half a million suspected fraudulent notices, targeting up to 620,000 URLs. 

They claimed to represent major companies, such as Amazon and Twitter, as well as high-profile individuals, including Elon Musk and Taylor Swift. Sometimes, they also used company names that do not exist, along with addresses associated with innocent families or businesses. 

Google’s complaint highlighted that one client had over 35,000 URLs removed during the critical holiday season, resulting in $5 million in lost revenue. That also cost Google $2-3 million in lost ad business. 

As the defendants did not show up in court, Google moved for a default judgment (which, as of mid-2025, is pending). 

If Google prevails, Nguyen and Pham could face damages under DMCA § 512(f) and other fraud claims, as well as an injunction banning them from using Google services.

Regulatory Response and Potential Solutions

Despite the growing abuse of the DMCA, regulatory and industry responses have been scarce. Google’s lawsuit against Nguyen and Pham shows that companies are beginning to find ways to fight back against those abusing the system.

Eliminalia’s case has also brought light to the issue for Spain and other EU regulators and jurisdictions. However, reform is needed to address these issues effectively. 

As the US Copyright Office’s study points out, the current law does not align with the industry’s changes and fails to address the growing number of bad actors. 

For the affiliate industry, increased awareness and pressure for legislative reform to close DMCA loopholes are critical. The rise of DMCA abuse poses a growing threat not only to affiliates but also to the entire digital publishing sector. 

The post Affiliates Under Attack: The Growing Threat of Google DMCA Abuse appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Matt Bastock

Google has announced updates to its Gambling and Games advertising policy, which will take effect on 14 April 2025. 

The tech giant has released a provisional version of the new rules. Notably, it includes a formal definition of ‘gambling,’ which was omitted in the old policy. From April, Google will define gambling as “both gambling as defined by law under the regulatory framework in the country you are targeting with ads, and to anything that functions in the following way: Staking something of value on the outcome of events or processes determined by an element of chance with the opportunity to win something of value.” 

This amendment targets advertisers who previously claimed that games were not gambling due to legal technicalities and other loopholes.

Additional restrictions are proposed regarding what types of gambling-promoting content are acceptable through Google. The new policy splits into supported and unsupported. Aggregator or affiliate sites that provide information about or compare other gambling services are supported. 

However, a site offering online gambling-promoting content must not itself offer gambling services nor provide links to any entity that it owns.

Country-Specific Restrictions and Regional Bans

The new Google policy also has specific gambling restrictions on a country and regional basis. Firstly, the promotion of real-money Mahjong gambling in APAC will be prohibited. The rules read: “Google doesn’t allow the promotion of Mahjong involving the exchange of money in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Previously, Google had not mentioned any country-specific restrictions for promoting offline gambling. The new rules will prohibit any promotion of offline gambling in various countries. The countries listed are: Bulgaria, China, Estonia, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Generally speaking, this aligns with local restrictions. 

Google has provided further information about skill-based games and clarifies between them, and requires any games that require local licensing to apply for certification with the company too. In addition, advertisers will now be required to proactively update Google if their gambling license status changes. Failure to do so could result in “immediate ad suspension.” 

Soon after a Washington State court ordered the social casino company High 5 Games to pay $25 million in damages, the genre will face many additional requirements on Google.

First, Google’s new rules plan to ban affiliates and aggregators for social casino games outright. It reads: “Promotion of content which itself directly promotes engagement in social casino games, such as aggregators or affiliates, is not allowed.”

It adds: “We take violations of this category very seriously and consider them egregious. If we find violations of this Social casino games policy, we will suspend your Google Ads accounts upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again.”

The law firm responsible for the plaintiffs in the High 5 Games case is bringing cases against ‘Big Tech,’ claiming they play the role of bookmakers for social casinos through processing payments and taking a significant commission. 

Todd Logan, partner at Edelson PC, commented: “Big Tech isn’t just standing by — they’re cashing in. This verdict is a milestone, but it’s only the beginning. Some of our clients lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to their gambling addictions here, and Big Tech cannot be allowed to continue to profit off of these devastating addictions. We will continue fighting to ensure Big Tech answers for its role in enabling and profiting from illegal gambling.”

Written By

Matt Bastock

Matt is a casino and sports betting expert with over two decades’ writing and editing experience. He loves getting into the nitty gritty of how casinos and sportsbooks really operate in order to make solid recommendations based on real experiences. His favourite games are blackjack and poker, and he loves watching NFL and soccer in his spare time.

The post New Google Gambling Ad Policy Targets Loopholes and Social Casinos appeared first on CasinoBeats.

She was joined by Emilio Takas, Head of SEO at Gentoo Media, who echoed Flynn’s sentiment that 2024 saw the abuse of AI-created content get “out of hand” and as a result, companies will need to be more organised in how they are using AI.

Emilio said: “We saw that AI if it’s of a good quality can still rank. However, when you produce that on such a big scale, then it was a matter of time before Google began to start evaluating it again and training the language learning models that they use.

“What people didn’t think about was the cost of AI. Because when AI started, they were saying I’m not going to have content creators anymore, I’m just going to use AI. But in 2024, we how expensive the advanced use of AI is and if you sum it up at the end, that cost’s [the same] as six to 10 people in total.

“I don’t think we’re going to see websites coming out of the blue with 10,000 pages created by AI and, even if they do, I don’t expect to see them in search engine result pages (SERPs) anymore.”

Ivana added that due to the rising cost of AI content, it could become more expensive than hiring trained copywriters.

Also in 2024, Ivana noted there was a rise in the use of black hat SEO techniques such as traffic manipulation, CTR manipulation and 301 redirects.

In response, Google has developed its detection technology to try mitigate these practices and improve its algorithm.

“We know that Google is trying to detect [black hat SEO] for years and it’s just getting better,” explained Ivana.

“It’s announced with every update that those practices are not good and are going to be punished. As well, they are starting to understand traffic manipulation and pick up on it because we abused it one step too far and websites using this sooner or later start to disappear.”

Looking ahead to 2025, the pair predict that AI will become an even bigger part of how a search engine functions, through the development of tools such as AI overviews.

As a result, websites will need to focus on developing brands rather than relying on keywords to rank high on search engines.

Flynn said: “Brand is important. You can promote it on social media and people can start to recognise the brand start to love or hate the brand and they can [have feelings] about the brand. The brand becomes viral and creates traffic so you don’t have to do any tricks to it.

“Sooner or later, we’re going to have [AI overviews] and it’s going to be all about brands and mentions. If you have Casino12345, it’s not a brand because you’re going to have Casino123456 as well. It’s not a brand to build and it’s not a brand to love.

“AI overviews are all about brand awareness. We know that AI overviews in Google are being trained on YouTube, Reddit and Wikipedia so you need to be there. You then stand a chance to have a brand mention and from there you can start to rank.”

Emilio concluded by saying that when using AI marketers need to understand its purpose as when used correctly it “can do miracles”.
To listen to this episode click here or search for ‘iGaming Daily’ wherever you listen to your podcasts.

The post Reflecting on a challenging year for SEO strategies appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The case has been put forward by New Jersey resident Julian Bargo, who revealed that he had lost more than $1,000 during play at a range of sweepstakes casinos.

Bargo brought forward Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act charges as part of the case, over enabling the operations of the sweepstakes casinos at the centre of the charge. 

High 5 Casino, McLuck, Wow Vegas and CrownCoins Casino are all named as defendants in the case for allegedly offering an illegal gambling site.

Furthermore, the RICO also looks at the payment journey, with it including Apple, Apple Pay, Google and Google Pay.

Bargo alleges that sweepstakes casinos act without regulation or oversight and have “succeeded in misleading regulators about the true nature of their operations for far too long”.

Including Google and Apple in the case, Bargo cited that both stores benefit from a cut from profits of apps housed in their stores, including these social casinos.

Furthermore, at the centre of the claim is also the importance and prevalence of promotions that are “misleading and intended to deceive patrons into believing these sites are free to play”, according to the allegations. 

It comes following a backdrop of regulators, such as those of Michigan and Ohio, that have taken a hard stance on social casinos and other forms of unregulated gambling and sent several effective cease and desist letters to sweepstakes operators like those named in the suit.

In his claim, Bargo did acknowledge that the issue has sidelined several class action lawsuits against sweeps operators–binding arbitration.

Recent comments from the American Gaming Association (AGA) urged the need for more regulation of sweepstake casinos, emphasising that their rise could lead to significant risks for the sector. 

The body drew attention to the fact that sweepstake casinos are incredibly similar to that of regular casinos. However, in most circumstances these firms operate under a far less intense regulatory environment.

According to AGA, sweepstakes avoid regulations and licensing through a dual-currency system, however they do still ‘look and play like an online casino’. It warned that ‘the ‘opaque nature’ could also significantly elevate the risk of bad actors having an opportunity for illegal activity. 

AGA stated: “The lack of regulatory oversight presents many risks for consumers as well as the integrity and economic benefits of the legal gaming market through investment and tax contributions. These sweepstakes-based operators have weak (if any) responsible gaming protocols and few, if any, self-exclusion processes.”

The post Google and Apple become embroiled in New Jersey sweepstake case  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Published on 6 September, the CMA disclosed a series of ‘provisional objections’ regarding Google’s policies and practices favouring its ad-tech solutions. 

On 6 September, the CMA published a series of ‘provisional objections’ about Google’s policies and practices, which favour its ad-tech solutions.

Due for a further investigation, the CMA suspects that “Google may have broken competition law by using its dominance to favour its own ad tech services in open-display advertising.”

Of significance to UK advertising, “the provisional findings relate to how Google ‘self-preferences’ its own ad exchange – harming competition and, as a result, advertisers and publishers.”

The CMA investigations draw parallel concerns to ongoing inquiries conducted by the US Department of Justice and EU competition authorities on the dominance of Google’s ad tech solutions over rivals and its impact on competitive practices related to fair use, cost, and impeding alternative services.

As noted, “The CMA is concerned that Google is actively using its dominance in this sector to prefer its own services. Google disadvantages competitors and prevents them from competing on a level playing field to provide publishers and advertisers with a better, more competitive service that supports growth in their business.”

The CMA’s investigation is exclusively focused on determining whether Google’s current ad-tech framework for publisher ad servers, ad buying tools, and ad exchanges is anti-competitive by favouring its own solutions of DoubleClick, Google Ads, and the AdX exchange.

CMA probes Google on abusive adtech practices stifling competition

Fair pricing is a concern, as the CMA notes that “AdX is where Google charges its highest fees in the ad tech stack, approximately 20% of the bid amount.”

The structure of Google’s ad-tech solution is provisionally determined as ‘self-preferencing’, as it allegedly provides AdX with preferential access to advertisers using Google Ads, allowing it to manipulate advertiser bids to appear higher in AdX’s auctions.
The CMA has provisionally determined that Google’s ad-tech solution ‘self-preferences’ by giving AdX preferential access to advertisers using Google Ads, allowing it to manipulate advertiser bids to appear higher in AdX’s auctions.

“The CMA has provisionally found that, since at least 2015, Google has abused its dominant position through the operation of both its buying tools and publisher ad server in order to strengthen AdX’s market position and to protect AdX from competition from other exchanges.”
The CMA has found that, since at least 2015, Google has abused its dominant position by operating both its buying tools and publisher ad server to strengthen AdX’s market position and protect it from competition.

The investigation will determine whether Google has engineered an abusive structure for ad-tech rivals, in which Google benefits from providing AdX with exclusive or preferential access to advertisers using Google Ads, manipulating bids to appear higher in AdX’s auctions compared to rival exchanges, and allowing AdX to bid first in auctions run by its own publisher ad server.

The investigation will assess whether Google has engineered an abusive ad-tech structure, benefiting AdX by giving it exclusive or preferential access to advertisers using Google Ads, manipulating bids to appear higher in AdX’s auctions, and allowing AdX to bid first in auctions run by its own publisher ad server.

As it stands, the CMA has provisionally found that this anti-competitive conduct is ongoing. The CMA is therefore considering what may be required to ensure that Google ceases the anti-competitive practices, and that Google does not engage in similar practices in the future.
The CMA has found that Google’s anti-competitive conduct is ongoing.

Google vs DOJ

This week, the DOJ will begin its hearings against Google, challenging the web giant’s advertising practices and levelling the group with accusations of monopolising the digital ad market to the detriment of competition, particularly harming news publishers.

The trial forms part of the Biden administration’s broader effort to curtail the power of ‘big tech’ dominance on advertising and marketing, hindering competition and innovation in wider markets.

The case follows an earlier ruling in August where a federal judge determined that Google’s dominance in online search violates US competition law, a decision Google immediately appealed.

Google denies the allegations – stating that it has never impeded alternative services from being used by advertisers. Its defence claims that individual preferences are granted to each advertiser regarding how they develop their marketing campaigns.

The tech giant notes that its advertising systems and tech tools are designed to align with secondary services, helping advertisers optimise and commercialise campaigns.

Google further questioned its position of ‘market dominance’, outlining that US critics had only accounted for its leadership in search and display advertising, and not other digital mediums such as social media, apps, online streaming, and video platforms.

Tech observers are closely monitoring developments as to “Who will come out on top?”. The DOJ has lined up testimonies from a range of expert witnesses, including current and former Google employees, executives from top publishers like News Corp and Gannett, and industry experts.

Google seeks definitive assessment

Google is reported to seek a definitive assessment of its advertising practices to avoid the costly restructuring of its ad-tech solutions for individual markets, a scenario the tech giant wants to avoid.

In 2021, France’s competition authority fined Google €220m for abusing antitrust laws, in which the company was ordered to adopt technical changes to allow more transparency and fair competition for third-party ad exchanges.

France’s decision was deemed significant as Google agreed to the ruling without contest, setting a precedent for similar global investigations.

The post Google faces CMA probe on unfair Adtech practices  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Developers were informed that the Play Store’s RMG framework would be expanded to allow RMG apps to be distributed in the markets of India, Mexico, and Brazil, depending on meeting ‘user safety criteria’.

However, it has caused backlash from the sector and specifically the AIGF, with Landers emphasising that the group is looking forward to working with the ‘broader Indian startup ecosystem and engaging with the Government on this issue’.

Issuing a statement, Landers added: “AIGF has always advocated for a fair and open market that provides equitable opportunities for everyone. In this market, consumers decide who wins and who loses, not private entities, and we will continue to fight for the same.

“We are highly disappointed by Google’s arbitrary and anti-competitive decision, primarily affecting pay to play games’ smaller developers and distributors. As the oldest and largest representative body of online gaming in India, we were the first to welcome Google’s progressive pilot program to allow Pay to Play skill games on the Play Store. 

“While we were initially concerned about Google’s decision to limit the pilot to certain games, we understood that, as an early initiative, it would eventually be expanded to include all Pay to Play skill games.”

He did go on to credit Google and the engagement the tech giant has pursued when it comes to the broader industry, having earlier in the year announced ‘they would onboard all skill based Pay to Play skill games’. 

“Given that the Google Play Store conservatively holds 90% of the app distribution market, it exerts tremendous control over the Indian mobile market and is a ‘must-have’. 

“In this context, not having an inclusive policy and discriminating are forms of gatekeeping and market distortion. A private entity’s disregard for Indian law, encouragement of anti-competitive practices and limitation of user choice are alarming. Their decision grants them unchecked control to pick winners in the market, favouring large companies and preventing small and emerging startups from effectively competing in this sector.”

The post AIGF CEO backlash over Google’s RMG decision  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

In January, the internet giant informed its app developer community that it would adopt a ‘new approach to Real Money Games’.

Developers were informed that the Play Store’s RMG framework would be expanded to allow RMG apps to be distributed in the markets of India, Mexico and Brazil, depending on meeting ‘user safety criteria’.

Google cited ‘positive feedback’ from developers participating in RMG pilot programmes within the stated markets, in which RMG apps remain unlicensed – a key reason for the decision being made.

January’s announcement saw Google extend a grace period for Indian DFS and Rummy apps to remain on the Play Store until June 30, 2024 – when the new framework was due to come into effect.

However, this weekend, Google confirmed its decision to pause its change of RMG policies globally, stating: “Expanding our support of real-money gaming apps in markets without a central licensing framework has proven more difficult than expected and we need additional time to get it right for our developer partners and the safety of our users.”

Though pausing its changes, Google has indefinitely deferred its grace period for RMG apps in India, “so existing apps offering DFS and rummy games in India can remain on Play and users can continue to enjoy them.”

2024 sees India’s gaming sector in disarray, as businesses and developers adjust to a 28 per cent goods-and-services (GST) tax applied on RMG revenues from October 2023.

Following a GST council meeting, Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman pledged that GST taxes will be reviewed ‘six months after coming into effect’ – however, as yet, no agenda has been published by the Modi government.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, stakeholders await the Secretariat of Betting and Prizes’ (SPA) move to publish final ordinances related to safer gambling, market conduct, crime prevention and advertising duties – needed to launch Brazil’s federal sports betting marketplace by 2024.

Google will closely monitor market-by-market developments in order to help its developer community build safe and reliable apps for local audiences.

The post Google pause RMG apps expansion  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Karan Gambhir, Director of Global Trust and Safety Partnerships at Google, shared with developers on the Android Developers Blog that the expansion will take place in India, Mexico and Brazil later this year.

Gambhir stated that the policy changes come as Google seeks to keep Play in line with “developer innovation, while promoting user safety”, following up from the onboarding of RMG apps in 15 markets with pre-existing licensing frameworks in 2021. 

Pilot projects in India and Mexico have also been conducted to determine how Google can support more RMG operators and game types, starting with Rummy and Daily Fantasy Sports offerings.

Under the new policy, set to launch in June, RMG developers will be able to bring their products to users in India, Mexico and Brazil via Play, with more countries to be included in the future.

In addition, Google noted that developers currently participating in RMG pilot projects in India and Mexico will be able to continue offering their apps on Play following their conclusions, keeping in compliance with local laws and the updated policy.

In India, the grace period for the Rummy and DFS pilot project has been extended until June 30, when the new policy will come into effect. 

For Mexico, the pilot programme for DFS will end on June 30 as scheduled before the new policy comes into force.

The inclusion of Brazil comes as the country prepares to launch its fully regulated online gambling market later this year after legislation was passed in late December 2023.

Google added that Play’s existing developer policies to support user safety, such as age limits and geolocation rules, will remain unchanged and strengthened, alongside other user safety and transparency efforts such as its expanded developer verification mechanisms.

The RMG service fee model will also be adjusted to “reflect the value Google Play provides and to help sustain the Android and Play ecosystems”. 

Close collaboration is taking place between developers and Google, says Gambhir, to make sure the new approach “reflects the unique economics and various developer earning models”. 

Google will also share more on policy and future expansion plans in the coming months.

Gambhir concluded: “For developers already involved in the real-money gaming space, or those looking to expand their involvement, we hope this helps you prepare for the upcoming policy change.

“As Google Play evolves our support of RMG around the world, we look forward to helping you continue to delight users, grow your businesses, and launch new game types in a safe way.”

The post Google Play to permit RMG apps in India, Mexico & Brazil appeared first on CasinoBeats.

3626

Online gaming has been left in limbo as there was long-awaited progress with the Brazilian sports betting bill. 

After a myriad of delays, the Senate of Brazil did approve the ‘basic text’ of Bill 3626/2023, however, the bill will be subject to further analysis. 

Nonetheless, the Senate detailed it has upheld an appeal by Liberal Party Senator Carlos Portinho (RJ) to exclude online casino modalities from the legislation.

It continued a period of indecision when it came to online casinos, as the sector failed to enjoy the same progress as sports betting in the region. 

200

GamCare research has highlighted a connection between cryptocurrency investing and gambling, as people suffering from harm in either vertical experience similar difficulties.

The UK gambling charity noted that 200 calls were received by the National Gambling Helpline over the past two years from people who stated they were struggling with online financial markets, including cryptocurrencies.

Calls included “accounts of people losing over £50,000 through their trading, and young adults who spent mortgage deposits on cryptocurrency but ultimately lost large amounts of money to it”.

Raminta Diliso, Financial Harm Manager at GamCare, commented: “For many consumers, cryptocurrency purchases are a way to diversify their investment portfolio.

“However, what we have seen on the National Gambling Helpline over the past few years is that serious harm can occur if it goes too far and it’s not always the get-rich-quick opportunity some people may think it is.

“The volatility and unpredictability of these currencies can sometimes create a similar environment to gambling, where people are starting to chase the rush rather than feel they are engaging in a financial activity.”

52

XLMedia has published a pre-close trading update for 2023, noting that it has explored possibly selling the whole company but has been unable to find suitable value for its assets.

In addition, the company’s North American revenues for the year are expected to finish strong but below previous forecasts, group revenues to be between $50m and $52m, while adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $12m to $14m.

Regarding M&A activity, XLMedia noted that following the sale of three European casino assets in July, the company’s board is exploring further asset sales opportunities and has had early talks with potential purchasers.

However, the board stated that there is “no certainty that any sales will be completed”.

XLMedia has also explored the possibility of selling the entire company over the past couple of months. While there has been a “demand for the assets”, a sale of the whole company is “unlikely to create the most value for shareholders”.

The company added that no discussions are currently ongoing regarding a sale, so the board “does not plan to undertake the sale of the whole company at this time”.

2024

Colombia’s Federal Gambling Authority, Coljuegos, has revealed plans to overhaul the rules on owning and operating electronic slot machines in the nation. 

Via the ‘regulatory project’, Coljuegos plans to initiate the changes in 2024 in a move deemed critical as the regulator aims to reduce illicit activity in the form of unauthorised ESMs across the country’s 32 federal territories. 

Colombia’s regulatory overhaul for slot machines is accompanied by a ‘public comment period’, which will run until December 14 to allow industry stakeholders and interested parties to submit feedback on initial proposals.

According to the authority, the project will promote “territorial development with the replacement of illegal economies with legal ones, considering the productive capacities of intervened areas.”

35

Blackpool MP Scott Benton has been suspended from Parliament for 35 days following a standards committee report accusing the MP of corruption. 

Benton currently governs as an independent after having the Tory whip withdrawn over a lobbying scandal, which saw two journalists pose as gambling industry investors, where Benton agreed to table questions for the industry. 

The decision may well lead to a by-election in the region, which is home to a significant number of casinos and plays host to a large number of tourists each year. 

2.25

AGCOM, the Media and Communications Authority of Italy, has issued sanctions of €2.25m and €900,000 on Google and Twitch respectively for violations of the advertising laws of the Dignity Decree.

Issuing the fines, AGCOM stated that its attention had been drawn to Google’s YouTube platform and the Twitch streaming service “following numerous reports received by the Authority”.

The Authority’s investigations uncovered in excess of 80 YouTube and Twitch channels with more than 20,000 videos promoting slot machines, gambling, sports betting, and scratch cards.

The channels infringed on the laws of the Dignity Decree, imposed in July 2018. Passed into federal law in 2019 by the former Lega-5Star coalition government, the Dignity Decree imposed a blanket ban on all forms of gambling advertising (legacy and online) and across all Italian sports (professional and amateur).

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