In a recent policy update, Twitch has announced a ban on some gambling content streaming. The ban occurred as a result of an ongoing debate regarding Twitch streamers. The banned streaming of gambling includes roulette, online slots uk, and dice games. Twitch stated that the purpose of the ban on gambling streams is to secure the community from any “potential harm.”
Over time, gambling streaming became popular on Twitch. It also drew a lot of viewership for many streamers. Potential gambling streamers are Roshtein and Trainwreck on Twitch. Dice games, slots, and roulette were among the famous ones with a great number of streamers.
Seeing the popularity of streamers, online casinos approached gambling streamers and sponsored them for live streaming their websites on Twitch. The streaming gave rise to debate among the users of Twitch. Many questioned the streaming of online casinos. Finally, Twitch ended up saying that they are banning gambling content from October 18 of the ongoing year.
Taking to the Twitter official account, Twitch announced that the company has decided to stop streaming platforms, including slots, dice games, and roulette. Ban restrictions are for unlicensed gambling sites in the United States and its jurisdictions. Twitch stated that their policy restricts streamers from sharing “referral codes” and “links” with viewers, but some gambling streamers violated the policy.
The issue got viral when a gambling streamer named ItsSliker loaned $200,000 during live streaming from his viewers. This incident went viral on social media, and Twitch came forward with the update. A lot of streamers appreciated the step talking about gambling addiction.
Streamer’s Reactions To the Gambling Ban
Upon the incident, Twitch streamer Ninja retweeted the update claiming it was a decision in the “right direction.” Similarly, Pokimane appreciated the decision and wrote that the campaign to draw attention to the particular issue went successful. Pokimane also wrote, “we did it” in the tweet.
However, many streamers are not very happy about the new policy.
Many popular gambling streamers reacted to Twitch’s tweet. They reiterated that the company should ban the individual spreading of “false reality” rather than banning gambling from the platform. The famous streamer Roshtein of slots retweeted the new policy and mocked “What’s next?” The streamer has secured great revenue and viewership via Twitch in the past 6 years. However, the current update is disappointing for him.
Another famous gambling streamer “Trainwreck” took to Twitter and wrote that rather than blocking such individuals, why is the company banning gambling? He further wrote about Sliker, saying he was a “sports betting addict.” Talking in a thread, Trainwreck further suggested that Twitch should rather ban people spreading “false reality.” He also mentioned banning people who engage viewers via giveaway codes, creating misleading content. In the end, the slots streamer wrote about banning people who portray and present only wins. From the tweet, Trainwreck seems to be unhappy with Twitch’s decision.
Twitch mentioned that many gamblers and streamers were trying to find loopholes in their community policy. The streamers tried to share giveaway codes during the live streams and also shared referral links with their audience when Twitch banned them.
Many streamers with core viewership from online slots UK, roulette, and dice games are still running campaigns addressing the issue. It is important to note that the banning is not for all gambling sites. It aims to target online casinos selling paid collaborations and sponsorships with streamers. Furthermore, unlicensed sites will also be banned from Twitch. Twitch named the sites in their recent update. These are “Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com, and Roobet.com.” The live streaming platform further stated that they would keep the crackdown against the violating sites.
What led Twitch to Ban Gambling Sites?
Despite the policy, incidents of online casino sites, links, and false links happened. However, recently Twitch received backlash from social media when a gambling streamer, “ItsSliker,” was caught asking for a loan during a stream. The streamer mentioned his addiction to the audience stating his bank account is locked for technical reasons. Sliker said he would return the borrowed money ($200,000). However, many complained that Sliker did not return the money to anyone. The stream went viral, and many other streamers also came forward to share the incident. Afterward, Sliker uploaded a video apologizing to the viewers for his gambling addiction. Addressing the issue, Twitch introduced a strict policy against unlicensed gambling sites and mentioned slots, roulette, and dice games in their update note.
A new discussion has started with streamers commending and criticizing the platform for the latest update on gambling. However, after October 18, many streamers will have to rethink their content. Many gambling streamers will have to rearrange their content to avoid violations and consequences.