Apple's Reluctance: Betting apps stay on app store in India

In February, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) asked Apple and Google to remove betting apps from their app stores.

Google complied quickly, but Apple is asking for a clear reason or legal requirement before fully following the directive.

Apple's Request for Clarity

According to a report from the Economic Times, Apple has been asked by MeitY to remove betting apps from its App Store.

However, Apple has requested a clear reason or a legal requirement to support this complete removal. 

The company emphasises the need for a solid justification and cannot simply remove the apps without proper grounds.

Apple highlights that these apps are legal and accepted in other places, making it difficult to impose a complete ban.

Apple has been in discussions with Indian officials to seek a solution that adheres to the directive while also maintaining access to legitimate applications.

Interestingly, three banned apps — Betway, BetNetix, and Bet Analytix — can still be found on the Apple App Store, despite being removed from the Google Play Store, as per the report from the ET.

The ban on these apps is grounded in Section 69A of the IT Act, which identifies them as having content that poses a risk to India's sovereignty and integrity.

Apple has already removed Betway from the Indian App Store upon receiving the removal notice from MeitY.

As an interim measure, the company has removed certain banned apps and is actively striving to find the optimal solution for the remaining ones.