Apple Seeks 'Concrete Reason' To Remove Banned Betting Apps: Report As per the report, the tech giant clearly told the ministry that it cannot arbitrarily take them down, since these apps are valid and legal in other countries
By Teena Jose
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The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) asked Apple and Google to remove betting apps from their respective app stores in February. According to a latest ET report, Apple has asked Indian officials for a 'concrete reason or a legal requirement' to take down betting or gambling apps from its app store making them unavailable in India, and the tech giant clearly told the ministry that it cannot arbitrarily take them down, since these apps are valid and legal in other countries.
In February MeitY released a list of around 138 gaming and betting apps that were barred from operating in India. Post this announcement, Apple executives and Indian IT officials had reportedly met in March. Apps like Betway, BetNetix and Bet Analytix that were available on the list are still available for download on the App Store for iOS users
The report further noted that iPhone maker is in the process of "vetting" the apps to make sure that only "wrong or bad players" in the ecosystem are removed. For other apps, it is working the "vest possible solution". Notably, Apple has removed a few apps temporarily that were prohibited the by IT ministry in February.
Government officials have once again requested Apple to ensure that no application on the App Store can facilitate gambling or betting in India. On the other hand, Google has removed these apps from the Play Store, unlike Apple. As per the report, the company has asked the government agency to provide the app identification numbers of the apps to be removed.
