IPL 2020: Zomato, Swiggy stop cashback games after notice from Google

Food delivery apps Swiggy and Zomato have paused their Indian Premier League (IPL)-based cash-back games after receiving notices from Google over violation of Play Store policies related to sports-betting activities, according to various sources.

The development came days after digital payment company Paytm’s app was briefly delisted from the Play Store for violating Google’s policy dealing with sports-betting. Both the apps were running gamification-related cashback and discount promos since the cricket league began earlier this month in an attempt to revive consumer demand, which has been hit due to the pandemic.

The development comes after Google took down mobile payments platform Paytm earlier this month for promoting its fantasy gaming unit and running IPL related cash-back offers.

Many firms have come up with gamification features to engage with customers especially during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). Zomato Premier League, an in-app gamification feature, allowed users to make predictions about the IPL game and earn rewards, while as Swiggy was running ‘Match Day Mania’ offers during the IPL event.

Earlier Paytm had also launched a UPI cashback and scratch cards campaign. Its payments app was delisted from Play Store. Paytm had said Google, too, regularly runs similar scratch card campaigns in India.

Also read: IPL 2020: The insipring journey of ‘yorker king’ T Natarajan from TN village to SRH