Store Compliance Guide

Overview

This guide helps iGaming teams integrate push notification SDKs into gambling applications while staying compliant with store policies. Violating these policies leads to app removal, account termination, and loss of user base.

Google Play Requirements

Gambling App Eligibility

Google Play allows real-money gambling apps only in approved countries with these requirements:

• Valid gambling license for each country where the app operates
• Age verification — must verify user is of legal gambling age before allowing play
• Responsible gambling features — self-exclusion, deposit limits, session time reminders
• Content rating — must be rated 18+ (IARC)
• Restricted distribution — only available in licensed jurisdictions

Push Notification Compliance on Google Play

Google Play Specific Rules for Push Content

1. No gambling terminology in notification metadata — FCM payload title and body are scanned by Google. Avoid words: "bet", "wager", "casino", "jackpot", "slot" in titles.
2. Use neutral CTAs — "Check your account" instead of "Place your bet now"
3. No financial promises — never mention specific amounts ("Win $1000") in push content
4. No urgency manipulation — avoid "Last chance!", "Expires in 5 minutes!" patterns
5. Icon and image compliance — notification icons must not contain gambling imagery (cards, dice, roulette)

App Store (iOS) Requirements

Apple Gambling Guidelines

Apple's App Store Review Guidelines §5.3 require:

• Gambling apps must be free — no paid downloads for gambling apps
• Valid license — must provide proof of gambling license during review
• Geographic restrictions — use Apple's SKStorefront to limit availability
• Age gate — must implement age verification before any gambling content is shown
• No in-app purchase for gambling — cannot use IAP for chips, bets, or deposits

Push Notification Compliance on iOS

APNs-specific requirements:

1. Provisional notifications — iOS 12+ allows provisional (quiet) notifications without explicit permission. Use this for onboarding, but switch to explicit permission for ongoing campaigns.
2. Critical alerts — never use critical alert level for marketing pushes (Apple reserves this for health/safety apps)
3. Notification Service Extension — if modifying notification content, ensure gambling content is not added in the extension
4. Background refresh — don't use background app refresh to trigger gambling-related local notifications

iOS Content Guidelines

Push Notification Best Practices

Frequency Recommendations

Content Strategy

1. Personalize by behavior — use event triggers (reg, dep, install) instead of broadcast
2. A/B test everything — test title, body, send time, CTA
3. Localize — always send in user's device language (Notify Partners handles this automatically)
4. Deep link — every push should open a specific screen, not the app homepage
5. Measure CTR — aim for 5–10% CTR; below 3% indicates content or frequency issues

What to Avoid

• Gambling content in FCM/APNs metadata — store review bots scan push payloads
• Sending to expired tokens — clean dead tokens regularly (Notify Partners does this automatically)
• Ignoring timezone — a push at 3AM local time hurts retention and risks complaints
• Generic "You won!" messages — these trigger spam filters and store reviews
• Excessive emoji — 1–2 emoji per push max; excessive emoji triggers spam detection

Integration Checklist

Before submitting your app to stores:

• Push SDK initialized after age verification gate
• Notification permission requested with clear explanation
• Push content reviewed — no gambling terms in titles
• Frequency caps configured (use Notify Partners Push Packs)
• Deep links tested for all push templates
• Unsubscribe/opt-out mechanism working
• Timezone-aware sending enabled
• Dead token cleanup verified
• Tested on both Android 13+ (requires POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission) and iOS 16+