© Noam Galai/Getty Images Pokimane smiling
Gambling and video games have always had a turbulent relationship. Gambling has legal restrictions placed around it in order to keep minors from participating, while video games generally don’t have to worry about such limitations. The boundaries between the two are often blurred, however, making it difficult to classify the legality of certain things such as loot boxes, which allow gamers to pay for the chance to win certain rare in-game skins and items. Another interesting cross section that has recently come under fire is the existence of gambling streams on Twitch. While streaming yourself gambling on the platform isn’t technically illegal or even against Twitch’s community guidelines, many have been quick to point out the numerous negative effects that these streams can have, particularly on young and impressionable viewers.
A lot of people in the industry have been critical of these streams, including several prolific streamers such as Pokimane and Mizkif. Others, such as xQc and Ludwig, have talked about the addictive nature of these gambling games and the negative impact that they have on the streamers themselves. Now it seems that this trend is reaching a tipping point. Variety streamer ItsSliker recently revealed that he has scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from fans and fellow streamers in order to pay for his gambling addiction. This has prompted several streamers to speak out and make their stance on gambling streams crystal clear.
Streamers Call For A Ban On Gambling Streams
© Twitch/ Mizkif Mizkif looking overwhelmed
While streamers have been talking about how bad gambling is for Twitch as a platform for a while now, the Sliker story seems to have sparked a more active conversation. xQc recently posted a tweet stating that he and Ludwig have learned about the situation and are organizing an effort to get the victims their money back. He estimated that the amount of money Sliker scammed from his followers is approximately $300,000.
Meanwhile, Mizkif, Pokimane, Destiny and Devin Nash recently discussed organizing a week-long strike over the holiday season when Twitch’s advertising revenue is at its peak unless the company bans gambling across its platform. All of them seemed interested in the strike and they speculated that other major streamers such as xQc, Hasan Piker and Asmongold would likely participate as well. Nash has also posted a tweet stating, “The issue of gambling on @Twitch should have resolved months ago with a platform wide ban. I left Twitch over this issue and still feel the exact same as eight months ago when I originally took that stand. Gambling is horrible for the platform. Get rid of it.” In a subsequent tweet, he even included a screenshot of Sliker messaging him asking for a loan. Mizkif and Pokimane have also each posted tweets asking fans to “like if Twitch should ban gambling.” These currently have just under 400K likes between the two of them.
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