Updated App Store review standards said that HTML5 games offered inside applications might not allow access to real money gambling, lotteries, or charity contributions. They may not enable digital commerce because of some regional regulations that need to be followed. According to CasinoVibez, living in a state where online gambling is legalized is the best.
Apple’s App Store will only allow programs built expressly for Apple’s operating system, starting with ios 15 updates. Any sports betting, poker, casino, bingo, lottery, or horse racing betting operators that don’t follow the rules will have their services halted until they do.
It’s one of the most exciting new ventures in the gaming industry, with a daily bonus schedule for online casinos. But with this implementation and the rules that Apple applied in the App Store, online gambling apps are now affected.
App Store Standards
According to Andy Daniels, a digital marketing consultant for Degree 53, most gambling applications in the App Store are HTML5 sites wrapped in a native sleeve, or so-called container apps, which are cheaper and quicker to produce than a fully-fledged native offering.
Three months for a big operator to construct a whole new native sportsbook software from the ground up is an enormous task and may be considered unreasonable.
It will need extensive and highly trained native development teams.” However, operators of less sophisticated goods may be able to fulfill the deadline if they begin soon.”
Until the set deadline, all existing applications in the App Store will be subject to the new standards and any new apps that are added.
Apple is expected to refuse fresh upgrades to non-compliant applications, although they will be permitted to stay in the App Store until September’s deadline, according to Degree 53’s report.
Customers will still be able to use these items, but they may not be the option to access any new updates. They will also be unavailable on the App Store for new gamers.
Chinese App Store Regulations
An official statement from Apple stated that app creators and “several” unlawful gambling applications were deleted from the Chinese App Store. According to China’s official broadcaster CCTV, the App Store in China contains an estimated 1.8 million applications. However, Apple has not verified the broadcaster’s claim that 25,000 apps had been deleted as of Sunday.
Apple recently started clamping down on gambling-related applications, explaining its actions. Their decision to ban gambling apps from the App Store was made to reduce fraudulent activity and comply with government requests to address unlawful online gambling activity. Gambling simulations and real-money apps are also covered in the list.
Consequently, these apps were withdrawn from the App Store. Even though developers may no longer distribute gambling applications from this account, the developers can still publish and distribute other sorts of apps to the App Store. According to Apple’s statement, verified accounts belonging to incorporated business firms may still submit gambling applications to the App Store.
However, they must abide by the regulations that Apple has implemented.
Countries and Laws
MacRumors published a piece on Apple’s recent crackdown on online gambling-related applications on the App Store. Noting that some of the apps that have been blocked seem not to have any connection to gambling at all.
Many applications have disappeared from the App Store, not just in China but also throughout the globe. In the wake of a recent investigation by the Chinese government, Apple has restricted the distribution of unlawful information via the App Store and iMessage. According to the second report, Apple is working with Chinese carriers to eliminate spam in iMessages.
There have been several instances when the Chinese government has asked Apple to comply with its requests. When the business withdrew VPN applications from the App Store in China in July of this year, Apple had removed the New York Times app from China six months earlier.
Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Tim Cook, stated the firm would prefer not to delete applications, but they abide by local laws and regulations in other jurisdictions.
It’s not the first time China’s official media has slammed Apple to allow unauthorized software sold in its App Store. Hundreds of VPNs, including those used to exchange secure emails, transfer data, and access prohibited Chinese websites, have been deleted from the App Store by Apple during the last year. Apple has also been accused of not doing enough to screen out illegal information on its iMessage service.
When Developers Sued Apple
Apps promoting real-money gambling and even extreme pornography could circumvent Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program because of a lack of oversight. After losing thousands of dollars on a single gambling app, Karen Workman sued Apple last year. In January, two additional victims—who had lost more than $30,000—also sued Apple in California.
There has now been a level course complaint filed against Apple in the U.S. District Court for Northern District of California, as reported by Apple Insider. The claimants are Joshua McDonald and Michael Helsel, who have lost money on gambling applications available on the App Store.
DoubleU Games Co., Ltd. is hosting the gambling applications under assault in this situation. Class-action status is sought in 25 of the jurisdictions where the lawsuit alleges that its casino-style slot machines and table games violate state law.
Apple vs. Anti-Gambling Advocates
A group of anti-gambling advocates is accusing Apple of encouraging and promoting illicit gambling and benefitting from the transactions made in such apps—essentially acting as an unlicensed casino.
According to the complaint, the Apple App Store is responsible for installing 50% of all apps. Users who find and download applications by looking through the highlighted apps or exploring app categories account for around 21% of all app installations. As a result, Apple’s system promotes successful gambling applications by highlighting them in its search results and pushing them toward its consumers.
In a way, Apple is “contributing significantly” to the illegality of the situation by giving the software tools and encouraging in-app integration with its features to developers like DoubleU and others. Apple should be held accountable for the harm caused by DoubleU’s destructive gambling applications, and compensation should be paid to those already harmed.
Apple Pay and Gambling
Only a few gaming sites offer Apple Pay. That’s a pity since it’s a convenient and safe way to make payments.
Due to Apple Pay’s recent introduction (in 2014), more sportsbooks may shortly accept this new payment option. You’ll need an Apple device to use this payment option, but it’s safe and simple if you have one.
We’ll go through which sportsbooks accept Apple Pay and how and why you would want to do so. If you can’t locate a site that supports this payment method, you may look into alternative deposit choices.
Final Words
The decision of the Apple company to remove third-party gambling applications from the App Store was taken to avoid more fraudulent behaviors and to comply with government demands to address illegal online gambling activity. And by doing so, Apple has protected all users from doing transactions away from the App Store and highjacking the terms of the App.