The Competition Commission of India has closed its antitrust investigation into Google over the tech giant's treatment of real-money gaming applications. The regulator cited a sweeping change in national law that now bans online money games, their advertising, and related payment facilitation. The September 8, 2026 order makes clear that the closure does not amount to a finding on whether Google's earlier conduct was anti-competitive.
Background of the Dispute
WinZO Games filed the complaint in 2022 alleging that Google abused its dominant position by permitting only Daily Fantasy Sports and Rummy apps on the Play Store. The company also challenged Google's advertising policies and warnings displayed during payments made through Google Pay. WinZO argued that these restrictions disadvantaged other real-money gaming developers in access to users and visibility.
Initial Competition Concerns
In November 2024 the Competition Commission formed a prima facie view that Google was dominant in three relevant markets. These included licensable mobile operating systems, Android app stores, and online search advertising services in India. The regulator warned that allowing only DFS and Rummy apps could create a two-tier market and directed its director general to investigate the allegations.
A New Legal Framework
Parliament subsequently enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which came into force on May 1, 2026. The legislation prohibits offering online money games, advertising them, and facilitating financial transactions connected with such games. It does not distinguish between games of skill and games of chance where money or stakes are involved, and it is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court without any stay.
Why the Case Was Closed
The Commission concluded that the relief originally sought by WinZO could no longer be legally granted because directing Google to host or advertise real-money gaming apps would conflict with the new law. Google had already discontinued its pilot programme and stopped accepting real-money gaming advertisements in January 2026, before the law took effect. WinZO also sought to withdraw its complaint in August 2026, citing the changed legal environment.
Commitment Offers Rejected
Google had proposed opening its platform to legally permissible skill-based real-money games under a certification process, but the changing law made that proposal incapable of implementation. The company later requested permission to offer a fresh commitment simply to close the pilot and prohibit such advertisements. The Commission rejected that request, observing that mandatory statutory compliance should not be treated as a negotiated competition remedy.
No Resolution on the Merits
The Commission stressed that its November 2024 order only authorised an investigation and did not establish any contravention. It reserved the right to revisit the allegations if the relevant provisions of the Online Gaming Act are stayed, struck down, repealed, or cease to operate. The decision is limited to what it described as exceptional circumstances and records no finding about whether Google's contested conduct violated competition law.
The closure of this four-year dispute reflects a fundamental regulatory shift rather than an exoneration of Google's past behaviour. The legal ban has effectively removed the market that was at the centre of the original competition concerns. As a result, the core antitrust question of whether Google's selective treatment of real-money gaming apps was discriminatory remains legally unresolved.