Apple amends gambling app guidelines

Apple has implemented two changes to its App Store review guidelines with egaming operators banned from accepting in-app purchases and all gambling apps required to be free to download.

The guidelines state all online gambling apps are required to have the necessary licensing and permissions in locations where they are used, and they must be free to download from the store.

Apps will also be forbidden from using in-app purchases to offer players credit or currency to use in conjunction with real money gaming, stating that apps offering to do so will be rejected.

Plumbee CEO Raf Keustermans believes the move to from Apple was them seeking to differentiate between gambling and social gaming. “Maybe it’s because they feel it’s important to make it clear that the two do not mix,” he said.

Keustermans cited markets in France and Australia as particular examples of where there is a debate about the potential need for clearer definition between what constitutes social gaming and real money gambling is necessary.

The move is unlikely to affect any existing egaming apps, but could impact operators such as Betable that align real-money platforms alongside freemium or social casino games.

The UK-licenced operator has previously claimed developers who adopt its real-money platform do not need to apply for an operating licence as its product is regulated by Betable’s UK Gambling Commission licence.