Paytm returns hours after Play Store exit over alleged policy violation

Paytm, one of the largest payments apps in India, found itself in the midst of an unusual controversy on Friday, when Google Play Store removed the app for allegedly violating its policy on sports betting, only to restore it hours later. However, Paytm’s digital gaming platform, First Games, was still missing from Play Store.

“Paytm App is back, live on Play Store,” Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma tweeted late Friday evening. “We launched a UPI cashback campaign this morning. Our app got suspended by Google for this. India, you decide if giving cash back is gambling.”

Earlier in the day, Google India said in a blog post that it did not allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitated sports betting.