CCI Closes Winzo’s Google Antitrust Case After Money Gaming Ban

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) closed its antitrust inquiry into Google’s real-money gaming policies on September 8, saying India’s online money gaming ban had left no effective remedy for the concerns raised by WinZO Games.

The regulator recalled its November 28, 2024 direction ordering an investigation into Google’s alleged abuse of dominance. It said the changed legal framework made further inquiry unnecessary.

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2026, came into force on May 1, 2026. The law prohibits offering online money games, advertising them and facilitating related payments, regardless of whether those games involve skill or chance.

The CCI said this left no lawful RMG market on Google Play or Google Ads in which it could require Google to admit categories of games previously excluded.

Why WinZO challenged Google

WinZO filed its complaint in 2022 against Google LLC, Alphabet Inc., Google India Private Limited and Google India Digital Services Private Limited, alleging abuse of dominance under Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002.

It challenged Google’s 2022 pilot programme, which allowed daily fantasy sports (DFS) and rummy RMG apps on Google Play while excluding other RMG categories. It also objected to restrictions on advertising and warnings displayed during payments through Google Pay.

In November 2024, the CCI formed a preliminary view that Google was dominant in India’s markets for licensable mobile operating systems, Android app stores and online search advertising. It identified potential discrimination and denial of market access, and ordered an investigation. These were preliminary observations, not a final ruling that Google had violated competition law.

Google subsequently proposed allowing legally permissible skill-based RMG apps on Google Play and Google Ads, subject to certification requirements. The new prohibition made that proposal impossible to implement.

Why the CCI closed the inquiry

According to the order, Google closed its RMG pilot and stopped accepting RMG advertisements from January 2026. WinZO sought to withdraw its complaint at an August 25 hearing, citing the change in law.

The CCI said withdrawal did not automatically end an inquiry because competition proceedings address market-wide concerns. It independently concluded that continuing would serve no useful purpose.

The regulator also declined Google’s request to submit a fresh commitment to close the pilot and prohibit RMG advertisements, saying these measures were already required by law.

The closure does not determine whether Google’s earlier conduct violated competition law. The CCI noted that the gaming law was under challenge before the Supreme Court, but no order staying its operation had been brought to its notice.

It reserved the right to act if the relevant provisions are stayed, struck down, repealed or otherwise cease to operate, and Google engages in alleged anticompetitive conduct.