Delhi HC asks Google to submit a response in four weeks in WinZO lawsuit

Delhi High Court has asked Google to submit a written response in four weeks in the lawsuit filed by real money gaming firm WinZO, seeking injunction against the big tech’s new pilot program that only allows daily fantasy sports (DFS) and rummy to list their apps on the Play Store. It was the first hearing in the lawsuit on Thursday.  

The one-year-long Play Store pilot is set to begin from September 28 and DFS and rummy platforms such as Dream11 and RummyCircle will be able to list their apps on the Play Store if they fulfill certain conditions by Google such as having requisite licenses and safeguards for children.  

“Upon institution of a suit, only the plaintiff is required to appear on the first date of hearing. The fact that the court has sought a response signifies that it sees a prima-facie case in the plaintiff’s plea. Procedurally, the defendant will now have 30-45 days to submit a response,” said Puneet Aggarwal, Counsel for Animesh Sinha & Partners. 

According to WinZO, Google’s counsel argued before the Delhi High Court justice Pratibha Singh that it is allowing only those games of skills that have received some court recognition. Google did not reply to an email query sent by Mint.  

WinZO’s lawsuit is based on the argument that Google’s pilot is discriminatory and amounts to unfair trade practices as it favours certain gaming apps.  

Amit Sibal, senior counsel, who represented WinZO argued that Google’s decision to allow only select formats such as Fantasy and Rummy and leaving behind games such as Chess, Carrom, 8-Ball Pool, and Combat Games shows “unfairness” even though Google PlayStore, as an intermediary, is obliged to not control the transmission that is going on its platform.  

Before this pilot, Google didn’t allow any fantasy sports, rummy, or real money gaming apps on the Play Store as its policies didn’t allow casinos or unregulated gambling apps. It was one of the reasons why none of these real money or fantasy sports apps such as MPL, Dream 11, or Paytm First Games are listed on the Play Store.