Major news involving the gambling industry and Google was announced this week. A change to the company’s Developer Program Policy has now made it legal for gambling apps to be placed in the Google Play store in the US. The change is effective March 1.
Online Gambling Apps Accepted
The policy center now states that effective March 1, real-money gambling apps, as well as ads related to the industry, along with daily fantasy sports apps that meet certain requirements, can be added in the US. Developers can find terms to apply for inclusion in the policy update at Google.
The new change applies to online casino apps in the United States along with sportsbooks and lotteries. In the past, Google allowed gambling apps in other countries like the United Kingdom, but not in the US. Operators are already excited about the potential to grow thanks to the news that they can add apps to Google Play for Android users.
Right now, players who want to access an operator app in the United States via Android, they must go the operator’s website and download it directly. This process requires security settings to be changed and this is something that many people do not like changing up.
Basically because of the ban at Google Play Store, many operators were not reaching their full potential in the online gambling realm. By adding apps to the Play Store, it makes it so much easier for players to take part in gaming options.
Coming Soon
We expect that major operators in the United States will start dropping apps sooner rather than later. You have big companies like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, PokerStars, WSOP, and so many more that are already popular within the iGaming market. Add in an app on the Google Play store and magic could be created.
This change comes at a time when operators need to be earning revenues, especially those who offer land-based services as well. Since last year, the online gaming market has been booming. The main reason is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As states have enacted stay at home orders and/or social distancing requirements, players are staying home. The lack of entertainment has led many to start enjoying online sports betting, casino, and poker games. Many players who frequently visited land-based casinos have made the switch to online gaming.
Last year was a crazy year for online gambling. Revenues hit a new record almost every month for the states that offer services. New Jersey and Pennsylvania were top earners, hitting new record highs as players logged in continually via online casino and poker sites.
The numbers will only grow from here now that mobile gaming will be much more streamlined for Android users. We expect that once apps start to roll out from popular and well-known providers, the traffic numbers will jump.
Just how much of an impact will the change at Google have? We will certainly stay tuned to see. Operators have waited some time for Google to make this change, especially since Apple already offers online gambling apps in its US based app store.
