Paytm was removed for Android users by Google for many hours for several hours on Friday after being temporarily unavailable.
Paytm remained inaccessible for Android subscribers who use Paytm for mobile, DTH and utility payments, bookings flights and trains, and so on.
Paytm has over 350 million users in India, and Paytm First games, a fantasy gaming platform, will still not be available on Google Play. In a blog post in the morning, Google has indirectly hinted at the app, outlining its gambling policy.
The company, however, held that they do not allow online casinos/support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate top betting apps in India.
“This includes if the app leads users to an external website that allows them to take part in paid tournaments. Google in the blog said, “When an app violates these policies, we notify the developer of the violation and remove the app from Google Play until the developer brings the app into compliance,”
In the case of more serious and repetitive offenses, they may block and terminate Google Play Developer accounts.” Paytm is backed by Alibaba, and it complies with Google’s policy. The spokesperson informed us that a cashback option is not gambling. It questioned the move saying that a cashback scheme cannot be gambling.
Paytm has temporarily removed the cashback offer to comply with the Play Store policy requirements. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm tweeted asking – India, you decide if giving cashback was gambling.
In a blog post in the evening, Paytm said the app was removed because of launching the Paytm Cricket League campaign on the Paytm app, enabling players to get stickers after each transaction, which could be collected to earn a cashback.
