Twitch bans gambling streams in new policy announcement

Twitch has released a new gambling policy via Twitter.
The new policy was created in response to a scam being uncovered on the platform.
Twitch bans gambling live streams from non-US and unlicensed casinos.

Gambling live streams on Twitch have been a topic of debate for a long time now. After new information regarding a scam came to light, the platform banned gambling streams.

Twitch has been the go-to platform for many viewers who enjoy watching gambling live streams. Creators such as Trainwreckstv, xQc, and many others have been streaming their big wins and losses and drawing huge crowds while doing so.

Twitch Drops the Ban Hammer

Previously, Twitch stated that its policy prohibited the sharing of links or referral codes for casinos that featured online slots, roulette, and dice games. However, despite these rules, streamers found a way to circumnavigate this policy.

Now, in a post via Twitter, the streaming platform has shared new rules that will come into play on the 18th of October 2022. The new policy set the following rules in place:

Sites that include online slots, roulette, or dice games may not be featured on a live stream.
Casinos that aren’t licensed in the US or in other jurisdictions that provide “sufficient consumer protection” are banned from Twitch.
Websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker and still allowed in live streams.

While there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered, Twitch has said that they will share more specific information soon.

Streamer Scams Users for Donations

The new policy was released in response to a recent scandal that was uncovered involving Nick Sliker. Known as ItsSliker to his 432,000 Twitch followers, the streamer was caught asking viewers and other streamers for money.

After asking for donations to cover a loan when his “bank account was blocked”, the streamer was in fact using the money to fuel his sports betting habit. When confronted, Sliker revealed on stream that he has a gambling problem and has spent most of his Twitch earnings on sports betting and loot boxes.

While he promised that he would try to get help in rehab, other prominent streamers are instead helping to get money back to those who fell for Sliker’s scam.

Only a couple of days after this situation blew up on social media, Twitch dropped its new policies as a response. This may be a step in the right direction, but there is a lot that Twitch has ignored and will need to provide clarity on in the future.

Many users are asking if crypto casinos will still be a grey area, how Twitch plans to deal with other “adult” streams on the site, and why they are not being more proactive in protecting users.

As for Twitch users, it remains to be seen if well-known gambling streamers will put up with these new rules or simply move to a new platform.

Daniel van der Merwe 21 Sep 2022 View more