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Google, perhaps the largest and most important tech company in our economy, has now given its stamp of approval on real money gambling apps. The announcement from Google will give players in fifteen countries access to sports betting and online casino apps through the Google Play Store.
This is a very interesting change of fortune as Google’s app store only had these apps available to the United Kingdom, France, and Ireland.
For US states that allow mobile wagering, the apps will offer live casino and sports betting. There are a few states like Nevada that will be Poker-only. Nevada does not currently regulate online casino play.
In order to gain access to the Google Play Store, a developer must submit an application. The below countries are now eligible to apply and subsequently offer gambling apps on Google Play.
- Australia
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Colombia
- Denmark
- Finland
- Germany
- Japan
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Romania
- Spain
- Sweden
- United States
Google Store Could Add Significant Users To Platform
The Google Play Store announcement is not just big because of its Google, it is big because of its user base. According to Statista’s official Google statistics, Google Play got 41.9 billion installs in the first half of 2019.
When considering the fact that there are currently 3.3 billion smartphone users around the world, this is a serious chunk of downloads. There are clearly millions of users daily from Google, so the apps should surely see an increase in users no matter what.
Daily Fantasy Sports Could See A Bump As Well
Sports betting and online casinos are not the only product that could see increased use as a result of Google’s approval. Daily Fantasy Sports have been available in some capacity but this appears to be expanding.
According to Google Support’s updated terms and conditions, these changes will be effective on March 1st, 2021. The new rules are described below by Google.
“We only allow valid licensed or authorized gambling apps that have the following types of online gambling products.” The four products Google mentions are online casinos, lotteries, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports.
In the US in particular, Google’s reversal of its longtime gambling prohibition represents a huge opportunity for operators including FanDuel and William Hill. Once major sportsbooks and casinos are approved to be listed in the Google Play store, operators could see a huge influx of Android users. Previously, Android bettors had to download apps directly from sports betting and online casino websites, making the process more difficult than it has been for iOS users.
There are some states with plenty of population to boast. There could be plenty of untapped opportunities across the globe and help fans play with their favorite product. Especially in areas where it was not available in the past.
