Apple Confirms Removing as Many as 25,000 Illegal Gambling-Related Apps From App Store in China

[Tech198]

"Apple's move follows the Chinese state media scrutinizing the company earlier this month for allowing illegal content like gambling apps and spam messages to be distributed freely through the App Store and iMessage. As for the latter, Apple is reportedly working with Chinese carriers to reduce iMessage spam."

We don't need another Microsoft.

So now we've got a walled garden inside the walled garden.

Waiting for the mandatory government-written messaging, video, and email apps.

Apple. What a hypocritical company.

Better than allowing access to anyone who wants it . Don't want another Google either

 

[name99]

I, sort of, thought, that you can use your money any way you like, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. I would see hiring a hitman being a crime but putting coins in the slot machines (or similar forms like we have Pachinko here, in Japan) is just a silly choice by people.
If you know that the casino is owned by mafia, make it state owned and use the profits for public health and other helpful things, like they do in Finland (if I am not mistaken)

"Hurting other people" is a vague and nebulous category, and don't pretend that it isn't.
Ask people who's families have been ruined by gambling addiction.
Meanwhile, would you be happy if Apple included apps that showed crush videos? It's not hurting PEOPLE.
How about apps that showed "bum fights"? It's "consensual".
How about apps that showed faked kiddie porn? It's fake --- no children harmed during the making.

Part of living in a society is accepting that other people have different opinions from you, including different opinions about what they do and don't want encouraged or allowed by their society. If you don't like it, work to change it in your society. And remember that possibly, just possibly, it is not your business to tell other people how they should run their societies...
You can give them advice, you can even tell them your opinion; but at the end of the day it is THEIR society, not yours; and, you know what, they have plenty of opinions of their own about just what they'd like to change in your society if they had the power...

 

[0947347]

"Hurting other people" is a vague and nebulous category, and don't pretend that it isn't.
Ask people who's families have been ruined by gambling addiction.
Meanwhile, would you be happy if Apple included apps that showed crush videos? It's not hurting PEOPLE.
How about apps that showed "bum fights"? It's "consensual".
How about apps that showed faked kiddie porn? It's fake --- no children harmed during the making.

Part of living in a society is accepting that other people have different opinions from you, including different opinions about what they do and don't want encouraged or allowed by their society. If you don't like it, work to change it in your society. And remember that possibly, just possibly, it is not your business to tell other people how they should run their societies...
You can give them advice, you can even tell them your opinion; but at the end of the day it is THEIR society, not yours; and, you know what, they have plenty of opinions of their own about just what they'd like to change in your society if they had the power...

And so should you.

My point is not “what should be allowed and what should not”

As for you “bum finds and crushes” you mean YouTube should be banned? Because it shows probably everything you have named.

The whole point is that you can find extreme cases in everything. So shall we ban everything?

Where is the so proclaimed freedom if we ban things because some people, doing that thing, are messed up?

Ask people with ruined families because of gambling? Surprise, I did. Yes, My own brother! He lost everything and even went to jail for stealing to to support his slot machine addiction. So, please, lecture someone else.

I have a large family and quite a few have addiction problems, mostly alcohol, yet I have so many friends who enjoy casual slot machines and visit to casinos and none of them is addicted. I know hundreds of people who have casual drink and are not alcoholics.

I know more people addicted to the internet shopping which is messing up their lives.
Shall we ban internet shopping too?

Do not take away other people’s liberties because of a few incompetent.

 

[Superhai]

You are talking about severe cases.
This way, one could argue that alcohol, cigarettes, fizzy drinks, pharmaceutical drugs are also highly addictive and should be made illegal. How about stock market? Many people failed there and lost all.

I did not argue for outlawing gambling, but rather that it causes problems which should be addressed. This does also apply to your other products as well as stock market. You will find that in most areas of the world, there are restrictions on the use of these products, and as well as gambling and the stock market.

 

[0947347]

I did not argue for outlawing gambling, but rather that it causes problems which should be addressed. This does also apply to your other products as well as stock market. You will find that in most areas of the world, there are restrictions on the use of these products, and as well as gambling and the stock market.

Agreed. The problems should be addressed.

Banning doesn’t solve the real issues within the individuals. I, for one, would like see a better support of people in need of help.

 

[Superhai]

Banning doesn’t solve the real issues within the individuals. I, for one, would like see a better support of people in need of help.

My impression is that in most countries the idea is now to limit the availability down to government controlled or regulated institutions, usually with a cap on money spent and ad exposure to other means of restricting access, without a complete prohibition. Thus avoiding that most people resort to underground gambling establishments, while still be able to catch individuals who are in the danger zone.

 

[69Mustang]

What I don't get is... how did the gambling apps get approved into the appstore to begin with?
If a few slipped through I think it's OK, but thousands of them? Obviously app review process is not very good.

There was never a prohibition on gambling apps. There still isn't a prohibition on gambling apps. Apple isn't banning gambling apps. Apple is banning illegal gambling apps. There's a difference. Apple is still approving "legal" gambling apps for the app store. Says so in the article: "Apple notes that verified accounts from incorporated business entities may still submit gambling apps for distribution on the App Store."

The question is what does China consider illegal gambling vs legal gambling?