An App in Time Makes Money, Google Expands Android iGaming Content

The onward march of iGaming continues apace with the announcement that online behemoth Google is to release real-money Android betting apps in 15 more countries from March 1.

Hitherto, “pure” gambling apps have only been legal in four countries: Brazil, France, Ireland and Great Britain.

But Google’s Android gaming apps will soon be coming to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the United States.

Depending on the country’s gambling laws, the apps will be tailored to meet the demands and legal limits of singular markets.

Some countries, for example, allow online casinos, sports betting, lotteries and daily fantasy sports. Others are more restrictive. And in the US, as we know, gambling laws vary state by state.

Google will still require developers to undertake a complex submission process before they can place their free-to-download iGaming apps on Android’s Play Store.

Many games-of-chance are already available online. But these will be the first “pure” gaming apps that use real money.

The developer must hold a valid gambling licence for each country or state in which it is distributed, there must be safeguards to prevent minors from using the app and it must display information about responsible gambling.

Meanwhile, shares of top online US gaming sites DraftKings and Penn National surged by six per cent and four per cent, respectively, following the Google announcement.

Aubrey Levy, Vice President of Marketing and Content at Canadian sportsbook theScore, whose share value jumped seven per cent, said: “This is a significant development for all sports bettors on Android. And it unlocks a huge market for mobile [gaming] apps like ours.”