WinZO seeks fair play as CCI reviews Play Store policies; Google vows open and safe ecosystem

Skill-based gaming platform WinZO has welcomed the recent public notice by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) inviting stakeholder comments on Google LLC’s proposed commitments in the matter of WinZO Games v. Google LLC & Ors. Appreciating the CCI for its transparency, fairness, and robust oversight in safeguarding competition in India’s digital ecosystem, WinZo says its fight in the case is about preserving innovation and competition in India’s tech sector, and ensuring no single platform’s discriminatory policies hinder its potential to become a $60 billion global powerhouse.

The case stems from WinZO’s complaint dated December 21, 2022, against Google’s Ad Policy and Pilot program, which allegedly allowed only fantasy and rummy apps on the Google ecosystem. WinZO alleged that Google abused its dominant position by unfairly restricting constitutionally protected gaming companies from fair market access.

As per the gaming platform, with Google Play Store controlling 96% market share, for an app-based business, the user acquisition cost for a product is at least 10x higher when distributed off the Play Store. The CCI on 28 November 2024 had directed an investigation against Google, identifying prima facie violations of anti-competitive provisions that prohibit imposing unfair or discriminatory conditions, limiting market development, and denying market access.

When contacted, a Google spokesperson said the CCI is market testing its proposed framework for real-money games (RMGs) in India. "This development reflects our constructive discussions with the CCI and the Indian developer community along with our commitment to building a more open and safe ecosystem for RMG apps across Google Play and Google Ads," the Google spokesperson told Fortune India.

The official says Google is looking forward to continuing to work with the CCI and the wider RMG ecosystem, and is confident its proposed framework will empower Indian developers, grow the digital economy, and prioritise user safety.

The Commission observed that Google lacked clear and transparent criteria for inclusion in its pilot program and inconsistent application of the ads policies. Further, the CCI relied upon evidence that users attempting to sideload non-Play Store apps were shown misleading payment warnings on Google Pay, artificially deterring access and usage. WinZO also flagged Google’s blanket exclusion of casual skill gaming platforms from its advertising inventory, even as similar games continued to be promoted. The allegations led the Commission to conclude that Google’s conduct warranted a full investigation under India’s competition law.

As per WinZO, Google has now sought to resolve the matter by offering its third commitment. "Any commitments must be robust and genuinely eliminate the discriminatory practices identified. WinZO is carefully reviewing the details of Google’s new proposal and will continue to participate actively in the CCI’s consultation process. Google’s vague reference to “developing” a commercial model for real money gaming (RMG), without any clear framework, timeline, or objective criteria, is what we would watch out for," the company has said.

WinZO has alleged that the issues raised mirror a global pattern of antitrust scrutiny against Google’s platform practices. The gaming company says regulators worldwide, including the U.S. DOJ, European Commission, ACCC in Australia, and authorities in Japan, France, the UK, and Germany, have flagged Google’s conduct for self-preferencing, monopolistic control over ad-tech, and anti-competitive bundling. "These probes highlight growing concerns over platform dominance and gatekeeping," said WinZO.