Apple Store Bans Gambling Ads After Complaints; No News On When They Will Return

Apple (AAPL) has confirmed it is temporarily banning gambling ads from its App Store following customer complaints over an apparent overkill of commercials.

The App Store is the world’s biggest platform for phone and computer apps, and Apple began introducing gambling adds on the App Store a few years ago.

However, it has now paused ads relating to gambling after a backlash from customers and app developers.

Indeed, developers spoke out on social media to voice concern that the App Store’s ad slots were being over-populated by gambling imagery. There was an “immediate deluge” of gambling ads on the Today tab and the “You Might Also Like” section.

Some users reported seeing gambling ads in 30% of the permitted slots available in the App Store. One found an ad for Jackpot World was placed alongside a gambling addiction support app.

The big concern was that these ads were indiscriminate and therefore could be viewed by children and people with a gambling addiction who have self excluded from casino promotions.

Apple Response

An Apple Store in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

In response, Apple has decided to take all gambling ads off its App Store for now.

“We have paused ads related to gambling and a few other categories on App Store product pages,” an Apple spokesperson told AppleInsider.

It is not known when Apple plans to restore its ads but there is hope that the company will find a way to at least discriminate between users, so that minors aren’t shown gambling imagery.

Apple NFTs

However, banning gambling ads doesn’t mean Apple is totally stepping away from gambling or risky investments. Along with the launch of iOS 16.1, Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines. And included in the guidelines are additional rules about how big a slice of the pie Apple gets from the NFT market.

Apple says apps will be able to list, transfer, mint and let users view their own NFTs. However, the NFTs must be pursued through Apple’s in-app system, rather than on an external site.

Controlling the marketplace for where NFTs are bought gives Apple the ability to earn an extra slice of revenue from every NFT purchase through an approved app.

The argument for this is that it provides a better customer experience if the NFT purchases are made on a safe, secure app that has Apple’s approval.

However, the move does call into question Apple’s relationship with NFTs, which are unregulated and considered by most as a form of gambling. How the company squares profiteering from this activity but also banning gambling ads to minors on its App Store hasn’t yet been addressed.