Apple needs ‘concrete reason' to take down betting apps: Report

By Team Newsable | First Published May 30, 2023, 12:12 PM IST

Apple has reportedly told Indian officials that it needs a ‘concrete reason or a legal requirement’ to take down betting apps. As per a report, Apple needs this to fully comply with Centre’s directive to take down betting apps from its App Store.

Apple has stated that it requires a "concrete reason or a legal requirement" to comply with the Centre’s directive to take down betting apps from its App Store, reported media reports. Apple has not refused to comply with the February order by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), but it has made it clear that it cannot ‘arbitrarily’ remove the betting apps and make them unavailable in India.

The business said that it would be challenging to get rid of the betting applications in India because they are valid and permitted in other nations. Apple has been instructed to investigate options for carrying out the directive.

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In March, just after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) published a list of 138 gambling and betting applications that were prohibited from running in India, Apple executives and IT authorities met.

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The iPhone maker is in the process of ‘vetting’ the apps to ensure that only ‘wrong or bad players’ of the ecosystem are taken down, media reports stated. While it works on the "best possible solution" for other apps, Apple has temporarily removed a few of the apps that the IT ministry had prohibited in February.

The Centre announced new gaming rules earlier in April by amending the IT Rules in order to safeguard online players from dangerous material, addiction, and forbidden activities that entail wagering or betting with real money.

Following this, government representatives once more requested Apple to make sure that there were no apps that permitted betting or gambling on its App Store.

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