Mobile gaming operators, troubled by Apple measures

The tech giant gave mobile gaming operators until September 3 to comply with new regulations saying only apps developed specifically for iOS will be allowed.

US.- The mobile gaming segment is quickly expanding, but Apple may have endangered some operations. The company announced it will allow only apps native to its iOS operative system and gave companies until September 3 to comply.

The new guidelines state HTML5 games distributed within apps “may not provide access to real money gaming, lotteries, or charitable donations, and may not support digital commerce.”

Products for sports betting, poker, casino, bingo, lottery or horse racing betting operators may be removed. As most apps in the AppStore are HTML5 sites adapted, they would need to update their offering.

Agency Decree 53 said mobile gaming operators may need to invest lots of money and time to comply before the deadline.

“Three months to build a fully featured native sportsbook app from scratch for a major operator is a massive undertaking and potentially unrealistic,” it said.

“It will require sizable and skilled native development teams to ensure all functionalities are fully compliant. However, operators with less complex products may be able to meet the deadline if they start now.”