Apple pulls thousands of gambling apps from App Store in China amid tightened regulations

Apple has removed thousands of gambling apps from its App Store in China after state media denounced the US technology giant for failing to protect consumers against banned online content.

“Gambling apps are illegal and not allowed on the App Store in China,” Apple said in a statement on Monday. “We have already removed many apps and developers for trying to distribute illegal gambling apps on our App Store, and we are vigilant in our efforts to find these and stop them from being on the App Store.”

Apple had taken offline 500 apps, with the keyword “lottery” in their names between July 31 and August 13, as well as more than 4,000 gambling-related apps on August 9 to comply with regulations, according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday.

The iPhone maker, however, has not confirmed how many apps it has wiped out of its App Store.

Policing online content, which has expanded because of the growth of social media, has become a major challenge to internet companies around the world. Earlier this year, the Chinese government launched a crackdown against various “inappropriate” online content.