In February of this year itself, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued an order to iPhone manufacturers, instructing them to eliminate betting apps from the App Store, effectively making them inaccessible in India. Usually, these apps are considered to be addictive and involve the investment of money sometimes which can lead to severe financial losses. Google rarely allows any gambling apps on its platforms. To cope with this problem, some of the leading gambling companies decided to create an apk file.
According to the report, the iPhone manufacturer has not explicitly declined to comply with the order issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in February. The order listed 138 gaming and betting applications that were prohibited from functioning in India, and it appears that Apple did not provide a specific reason for taking down these betting apps, as per Indian officials cited in the report.
According to The Economic Times, citing sources familiar with the matter, the company based in California has emphasized that it cannot remove the betting apps from its platform in an arbitrary manner, resulting in their unavailability in India. As reports of The Economic Times suggest, The iPhone maker is in the process of ‘vetting’ the apps to ensure that only ‘wrong or bad players’ of the ecosystem are taken down.
Earlier this April , the central government made new regulations for gaming through an amendment to the IT Rules which in lay terms meant, ‘online game’ means a game that is offered on the Internet and is accessible by a user through a computer resource or an intermediary. The aim was to safeguard online gamers from detrimental content and addiction by banning games that involve gambling or betting with real money. In light of this, ministry officials have once again urged Apple to ensure the absence of any apps on its App Store that enable betting or wagering. These rules also establish a framework consisting of multiple self-regulatory organizations (SROs).
As a result, ministry officials have reiterated their request to Apple, urging the company to guarantee the absence of any apps that facilitate betting or wagering on its App Store.
