XQc has taken a surprisingly hard line against gambling, warning thousands of his viewers on Kick that they shouldn’t follow in his footsteps and play online slots or wagering games—even as he continues to host lengthy streams where he plays those same games.

“Don’t gamble, don’t be dumb… don’t do that,” the streamer said off-screen while his broadcast outro credits were rolling after his Sept. 12 stream. “Don’t put your money on any gambling devices or platforms, it’s dogshit. Because I do it… dont do it.”

While the message is right, it’s very surprising coming from xQc, especially considering the titanically popular streamer has openly admitted he’s paid to gamble for his livestream audience. In 2022, the star showed his then-totally Twitch-based fandom he’d wagered as much as $685,000 over 656,376 separate bets. This number, which is already huge even comparative to how much he earns, would only have compounded after he joined Kick last year; the 28-year-old has never been coy about his wagering online and offline.

It does raise the question why he would make this end-of-stream declaration now of all times. He hasn’t slowed down with his gambling broadcasts on Kick either, already running upwards of five dedicated “GAMBA AND GAME” streams on Kick this month.

Some across Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) did question whether he’s having second thoughts about the lifestyle and gambling sponsorships, though others were less convinced. “Reminds me of my dad blowing through a carton of cigarettes immediately after telling me not to smoke,” one streaming fan wrote soon after the clip was shared.

The multi-platform entertainer did declare a little under 12 months ago he was walking away from “gambaing” [sic] but that lasted less than a fortnight before he was back.

XQc’s declaration being followed by a complete removal of gambling-related broadcasts would be the best solution here—actions speak louder than words, after all—considering a large majority of his Twitch and Kick fandoms are below 22, but it would be very surprising if he dropped the slots and Stake.com streams completely.

Instead, this shock outburst at the end of his Sept. 12 livestream will likely change nothing beyond a disappointing reminder that he continues to gamble in front of hundreds of thousands fans every week—a habit he still seems to enjoy quite a bit.

“You know what,” he said a year ago during another controversy around his gambling, “at the end of the day, I was like, I love gambling, so I’m just going to gamble.”

It’s Dot Esports’ understanding xQc is still sponsored by Stake to this day.