India competition watchdog to investigate Google's gaming app policy

BENGALURU (Reuters) - India's competition watchdog on Thursday ordered a probe into Google's restrictive policies for real-money games on its platform, following a complaint by online gaming platform WinZO that called it discriminatory.

The move compounds Google's regulatory headaches in India, where it has already been hit with at least two penalties for abusing its dominant position in the Android operating system market.

Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment made after working hours in India and with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

WinZO, which offers real-money games, first approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2022, after a change in the U.S. company's gaming app policy continued to exclude WinZO from Google's Play Store, even as it accepted some of its competitors.

The updated Google policy allowed real-money games for fantasy sports and rummy, but WinZO was rejected as it also offered games in other categories that Google does not accept, such as the Indian game of carrom, puzzles and car racing.

"By granting preferential treatment to select app categories, Google effectively creates a two-tier market where some developers are accorded superior access and visibility while others are discriminated against and thus, left with a competitive disadvantage," a copy of the CCI order stated.

A CCI official is expected to complete its investigation into the matter within 60 days.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

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