Apple Pauses Gambling Ads in App Store Pages After Developers Complain

[swogerino]

Apple today rolled out new ad placements in the App Store on the iPhone, allowing developers to advertise their apps in more places, including the main Today tab and in the "You Might Also Like" section at the bottom of individual app listings.

"Now my app's product page shows gambling ads, which I'm really not OK with," tweeted Arment. "Apple shouldn't be OK with it, either."

As noted by Arment, Apple provides advertisers with the choice to have their ad shown in app categories different than their own app's category, allowing ads for gambling ads to appear in listings for unrelated apps like the podcast app Overcast.

The presence of gambling ads in the App Store as a whole has prompted some criticism, with some accusing Apple of being greedy and moving away from policies that the company upheld under former CEO Steve Jobs. Apple earns revenue from both the ad placements and its 15% to 30% cut of in-app purchases in gambling apps.

Beyond upsetting some developers, Apple allowing apps to run ads in other apps' listings has already led to the company facing accusations of anticompetitive behavior. In a tweet last week, legal expert Florian Mueller argued the ads are "another means of increasing the effective app tax rate, forcing developers to buy ads on their own app pages in order to avoid that others steer customers away from there."

In August, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple wanted to nearly triple its current advertising revenue to at least $10 billion per year in the future. Gurman said keyword-based search result ads are coming to the Apple Maps app starting next year.

We've reached out to Apple for comment and asked if the company will consider tightening its rules surrounding the ads. We'll update this story if we hear back.

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/10/26/app-store-gambling-ads-complaints/

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It appears apple developers are not fans of gambling?

If apple based platforms ban gambling advertisements.

Could apple gain a reputation for having an anti gambling stance in the future. Which might lead to a backlash where casinos boycott apple based products?

I don't remember statistics or revenue numbers being published in response to facebook and other platforms banning cryptocurrency advertisements. Or if there was an actual backlash in those cases where social media platforms lost a significant chunk of revenue as a result of bans.

The gambling industry is different from cryptocurrency advertisements. Gambling is a trillion dollar industry worldwide. It might be large enough for ad bans and lost revenue to affect apples bottom line. Perhaps I'm exaggerating the influence of the gambling industry.

I don't think you are exaggerating the impact of the gambling industry,it is one of the major multi billion dollar industries and has truly a lot of money.Apple maybe will not be affected that much as the most of the revenue of Apple comes from their selling of their devices,the Macbook,Ipad and Iphone and the crypto casino ads are only a small revenue for them which I think will not affect that much their earnings.

Apple is doing really great and in these last couple of years with the Ipad pro and Iphone from 12 Pro Max and further they are getting a lot of income by the sales of these products.By banning such ads Apple will only favor their direct competitor which is Android as I see in Android phones tons of such ads and this means Google which owns them will get more revenue from this side but in the overall picture nothing will really change for Apple.

[1715358822]

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[coin-investor]

The gambling industry is different from cryptocurrency advertisements. Gambling is a trillion dollar industry worldwide. It might be large enough for ad bans and lost revenue to affect apples bottom line. Perhaps I'm exaggerating the influence of the gambling industry.

No, you're not, you're stating the fact it is indeed a trillion-dollar industry, the data is everywhere if they don't want to publish gambling it's because of the reputation more than losing revenues, they have a source of revenues from their application and products, you cannot blame them they don't want to be accused of deviation from policies laid out by their founder they are not the only one many companies are not comfortable publishing gambling-related ads.

There are still advertising networks that the gambling industries can rely on to deliver their ads not only the Apple App store.

[AicecreaME]

I was confused at first about the complains on gambling advertisements. While it was still apple's discretion to ban or not the advertisements related to gambling, I believe the consumer, particularly the users' voices should be heard the most in this situation. While developers can purchase different ads they can run on the background of their apps, it's also known that apple can run ads that they deem useful for the users.

If the problem is the frequent mismatch, the developers have the right to complain especially if their category is far from gambling. I think Apple's revenue from advertisements wouldn't really be much affected since a lot of brands and platforms are currently their client and are planning to be their client. Since apple uphold their reputation, they won't let it get ruined. Assurance of security is what they are most famous for, so the fact there are complaints already in their developer hierarchy, they'll likely to offer resolutions from there so the issue won't spread further.

[piebeyb]

actually from what I've read on the internet Apple's decision doesn't sound very permanent and it's not clear how long this pause will last or whether it will eventually allow gambling ads under the new rules, so waiting is best and respects Apple's every decision.

[Saisher]

It appears apple developers are not fans of gambling?

Maybe the majority of them are, but if you're an Apple developer you don't want some of your comrade to treat as someone who loves to gamble

If apple based platforms ban gambling advertisements.

Could apple gain a reputation for having an anti gambling stance in the future. Which might lead to a backlash where casinos boycott apple based products?

They are not the only ones, they want to be known as a child-friendly project.

I don't remember statistics or revenue numbers being published in response to facebook and other platforms banning cryptocurrency advertisements. Or if there was an actual backlash in those cases where social media platforms lost a significant chunk of revenue as a result of bans.

The gambling industry should not take this action as trying to hurt them, this is gambling and these platforms implement a policy that will protect their audience like minors

The gambling industry is different from cryptocurrency advertisements. Gambling is a trillion dollar industry worldwide. It might be large enough for ad bans and lost revenue to affect apples bottom line. Perhaps I'm exaggerating the influence of the gambling industry.

The gambling industry is huge but it should not in a way interrupt the other companies' policies and goals the gambling industry should respect and understand where these companies are coming from.

[Slow death]

I confess that I can't understand the logic of these measures, people have the brains to think and decide what is good and bad for them, I don't understand why they don't let each person decide for themselves when they look at an advertisement for gambling? Are most people addicted to gambling? Could it be that most people aren't responsible enough to choose to avoid the casino when they see any gambling advertisements? I think for a company as big as apple they should think about giving people freedom of choice, but unfortunately they choose to decide for people.

[pawanjain]

If Apple has decided to pause gambling ads in app store then probably it's for good.
Besides that, Apple is already such a big company, if it is losing a little portion of ad revenue it won't be a big thing for them anyway.
Their reputation is what matters to them at this stage I think.

I don't think the reason behind this decision is to enhance its reputation with users. By imposing an urban ban on gambling advertisements, it will lose a large part of its resources, since the advertising market represents an important source of income for major companies working in the field of social applications. Which means that this will give the opportunity for its competitors to take a step at its expense.
Users generally hate that advertisements of any kind appear to them, but they do not care about those advertisements as long as they are not necessarily gambling players and that these advertisements do not contain pornographic materials that contradict public modesty. If Apple will work to satisfy its developers, most likely this will not be at the expense of its advertising revenue.

Yeah it's right that big companies like Apple earns a huge income from ad revenue but here we are just targeting a specific portion of that.
I gave the article a further read and found that developers started complaining because these gambling ads were displayed near kids apps as well as apps which helped recover from gambling addiction.
Basically such ads did more harm to the people which is why the concern was raised by the app developers.
This is a good move from Apple and was much needed.

[ethereumhunter]

Apple will remain Apple and be liked by many because they already remember the Apple brand as a brand that gives something different from other companies. And now, it seems that Apple wants to chase more revenue from advertising so they created a new placement for their ads to allow developers to advertise their apps in more places.

And maybe that's why Apple is now starting to implement its newest strategy in advertising, where they open more ads on other pages. But Apple should also be able to pay attention to users who don't like certain ads not to be displayed and there is some filter for what ads users can choose not to show on their phones. But we'll see how Apple reacts and the people who use it.

[livingfree]

They probably just don't like gambling to be at their top appearance and that's why they've removed it. It's not their priority given how many users they are and we don't know if they've got a statistics on it and how many are at the minor age.

A big company like Apple, they've got some really huge base of users and one casino advertisement will really have that click and good results for that advertiser. They know their worth and they may want to increase their ads revenue but not coming from the gambling industry.

If they had allowed it earlier then it does simply means that they are making money through it but since there are some complaints then this is where they do take or make some action.

Its true that they had gained up their reputation and popularity on different angles or means which they cant really afford on making some small issues for making it to be big and would completely
be that creating too much noise or something like that.
Its their company and its just right that they would really be doing things which would really be for the better good for the company.

It is not their focus and that's why they have to replace it and they have to honor those complains if they really are legitimate and concerning.

Apple can place it somewhere else where it's still visible but only for those users that are on the right age as there's the algorithm that they have to pop on it to make sure that it's going through the right demand of age for their users.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

The gambling industry is different from cryptocurrency advertisements. Gambling is a trillion dollar industry worldwide. It might be large enough for ad bans and lost revenue to affect apples bottom line. Perhaps I'm exaggerating the influence of the gambling industry.

You are absolutely right with your assumptions bud, there is no exaggeration of any kind here, the gambling industry is a trillion dollar industry, if apple should ban gambling advertisements on their platform, then they are definitely going to loose far more than they are going to make from the developers that are complaining..
Honestly, one thing i know for sure is that humans beings are never satisfied, even if apple decide to listen to their wailing developers and ban gambling advertisements, this will still not stop people from complaining, there are several more important issues they should work on fixing rather than debating whether they should ban gambling advertisements or not.

[Oilacris]

They probably just don't like gambling to be at their top appearance and that's why they've removed it. It's not their priority given how many users they are and we don't know if they've got a statistics on it and how many are at the minor age.

A big company like Apple, they've got some really huge base of users and one casino advertisement will really have that click and good results for that advertiser. They know their worth and they may want to increase their ads revenue but not coming from the gambling industry.

If they had allowed it earlier then it does simply means that they are making money through it but since there are some complaints then this is where they do take or make some action.

Its true that they had gained up their reputation and popularity on different angles or means which they cant really afford on making some small issues for making it to be big and would completely
be that creating too much noise or something like that.
Its their company and its just right that they would really be doing things which would really be for the better good for the company.

It is not their focus and that's why they have to replace it and they have to honor those complains if they really are legitimate and concerning.

Apple can place it somewhere else where it's still visible but only for those users that are on the right age as there's the algorithm that they have to pop on it to make sure that it's going through the right demand of age for their users.

With todays advancement then those algorithm could be easily be applied and be integrated without affecting up on overall business reputation and condition.
Its true or normal that they would really be focusing into things which would really be that relevant and would just simply skip or thrown away those things if its needed to.

If its needed to be done then they would really be recognizing those things which would really be beneficial for them or able to avoid such potential problems.
As i said if complaints were raised then it would be normal that they would really be making adjustments.

[STT]

Ironic point is that even if Apple thinks they have banned gambling they wont have removed all the games that include some iteration of random luck and in game purchasing that equates to gambling.  Its more tricky to label then a plain gambling game as per most casino setups but it will be the same thing in gaming terms, only a couple governments recognize that some games are hiding gambling within the games even for children there is gambling in games I think is fair to say.
  Classification of apps or adverts is fair enough but censorship generally will breed nonsense while people want that product, I can understand to classify and restrict from minors the gambling or any select subject but to ban I dont especially agree with or that it will work even.

[Zlantann]

They probably just don't like gambling to be at their top appearance and that's why they've removed it. It's not their priority given how many users they are and we don't know if they've got a statistics on it and how many are at the minor age.

A big company like Apple, they've got some really huge base of users and one casino advertisement will really have that click and good results for that advertiser. They know their worth and they may want to increase their ads revenue but not coming from the gambling industry.

I think Apple really wanted these gambling adverts because they would make so much money from them but the concern raised by these programmers are genuine. The problem these gambling ads have is that they appear is applications that are not related to gambling which could be counter productive. This means that my underage child might have access to enticing gambling advertisement because I can no longer control what he views because the advert content is now unpredictable. As much as we want gambling to enjoy the freedom its deserve, we must also protect those that needs to be protected to avoid gambling addictions.

[seoincorporation]

The amount of search for casinos in the app store is really big, and have a a lot of trash apps with lots of ads on the first positions because they pay to be there has become a problem for the app store, that's why they decide to pause the gambling apps on the ads section.

Is crazy to see how the gambling has become a problem for different platforms this year. Let's se what other surprises  we have before the year ends.

[Poker Player]

This is apple wanting to make more money. This is going to encourage advertising to hurt others or competitors.

They are making the competition of developers which the rich developers can advertise on the competitor's page. This is really going to kill the apps that are inferior and low quality which I think is good also for developers will push to make better apps.

I don't quite understand you. The gambling market is huge and if they stop accepting gambling ads, assuming it is a definitive decision, what they do is stop generating revenue on that side.

Although Apple doesn't need it.

Apple’s iPhone Sales Fuel Record Profits, Despite Recession Fears and China Worries

Apple Net Worth 2010-2022 | AAPL

I guess they can afford to avoid certain types of revenue because they have such a strong economic position.

[traderethereum]

It looks like it will continue because gambling advertisements generate huge revenue.
And users will still see such ads for a while and can only wait until there is a change.
It looks like this ad war is still going on and the ones with the most money can get good ad spots and Apple will still get the money.
There will be pros and cons to something that exists, and Apple should be aware of that.

[Pierre 2]

I just don't understand reasoning behind Apple's decision on banning gambling ads honestly. Most companies claim that they protect kids by banning gambling ads as kids are main target group of mobile games. But anyways there are games out which are totally 18+, so game developers may prefer to put Gambling ads on these ones. Everyone is targeting high profits, Apple is being too greedy with that for sure.

[AicecreaME]

I just don't understand reasoning behind Apple's decision on banning gambling ads honestly. Most companies claim that they protect kids by banning gambling ads as kids are main target group of mobile games. But anyways there are games out which are totally 18+, so game developers may prefer to put Gambling ads on these ones. Everyone is targeting high profits, Apple is being too greedy with that for sure.

Some companies really do ban gambling related advertisements because of the kid's welfare. They take into consideration what the youth is seeing and how it might affect their thinking and behavior. While it is a good move, I believe it is still up to the kid whether he will do anything that triggers his curiosity. It will still boil down on the parental guidance and upbringing because discipline is established, not imposed.

Regarding apple, I think the one liable here are the developers because they want those gambling ads to be removed in order to put up their own ads in their own application. With this assumed scenario, they can really profit because they would be getting wider reach to the apple users.

[livingfree]

They probably just don't like gambling to be at their top appearance and that's why they've removed it. It's not their priority given how many users they are and we don't know if they've got a statistics on it and how many are at the minor age.

A big company like Apple, they've got some really huge base of users and one casino advertisement will really have that click and good results for that advertiser. They know their worth and they may want to increase their ads revenue but not coming from the gambling industry.

I think Apple really wanted these gambling adverts because they would make so much money from them but the concern raised by these programmers are genuine. The problem these gambling ads have is that they appear is applications that are not related to gambling which could be counter productive. This means that my underage child might have access to enticing gambling advertisement because I can no longer control what he views because the advert content is now unpredictable. As much as we want gambling to enjoy the freedom its deserve, we must also protect those that needs to be protected to avoid gambling addictions.

It's okay if they'll remove that as they have some valid reasons for it. At least, they're not wholly against on it and they've just done some changes and adjustments when they've received some complains.

If we'll understand it, they're also doing some protection to the minors that might see those gambling advertisements. And even we're gamblers, we understand that it could be one of the goals that they're trying to do.

[pakhitheboss]

Apple has the liberty to control and govern its platform. I am not sure why you are questioning its policy. Unfortunately, a lot of Gambling websites and apps will get affected due to this decision by Apple. I do not think it will affect them in anyways as they make more money just by selling their handsets and not through advertisement on their platform. They would have a lot of reasons in banning gambling advertisements on their app store.