It’s no secret that the Slots category on Twitch is one of the top 10 categories across the entire platform, with some of the biggest names like Trainwreckstv, xQc, and Roshtein regularly streaming to tens of thousands of viewers. It’s a category that boomed over the last year, with Stake’s lucrative affiliate program and sponsorships allowing the top streamers to gamble at the highest levels and cover some or all of their losses. But gambling content doesn’t come without controversy and scrutiny; changes could be on the horizon for Twitch’s waning tolerance of slots streaming.
A recent report by Bloomberg titled, “Twitch’s Gambling Boom Is Luring Gamers Into Crypto Casinos“, dives into the world of gamble streams and the viewers that have become addicted to only gambling because of Twitch streamers. One person says they drained their life savings and took out loans to continue their gambling addiction after watching xQc stream slots on Stake, a popular crypto casino.
How much blame should be put on influencers like xQc, who have admitted to having a gambling addiction themself? Trainwreck often goes on 30+ hour binges, chasing his losses in front of over 30,000 people, mostly young and impressionable men. Roshtein had to cancel his stream the other day because his losses were so bad recently.
The top Twitch slots streamers are definitely not the best role models for responsible gambling practices. If Twitch decides to take action, the examples set by the top streamers will be the reason why. Will Twitch ban slots streaming entirely? That’s a possibility as Bloomberg spoke with a Twitch spokesperson who says the company is “currently in the midst of deep-dive look into the gambling behavior on Twitch.”
Twitch has taken some steps in the gambling streams realm. Last year, the platform banned sharing of affiliate links to gambling sites. Needless to say, that did not slow the Slots category down one bit. Stake often provides streamers with a bankroll as a thank you for choosing Stake to show their viewers, and this surely helps keep the gambling meta strong. Without this incentive, most gambling streams would fall off or at least slow down as gambling is not a profitable endeavor.
It’s unlikely Twitch would outright ban gambling streams. Gambling is an age-restricted hobby, and so are things like drinking, which is allowed on Twitch and the platform itself has even partnered with alcohol companies in the past. If anything, more regulations are possible to keep more viewers safe, like stronger age-gating and perhaps limits on how long a streamer can gamble for in one session.
Suffice to say, media coverage like Bloomberg’s will definitely get Twitch to think twice about gambling streams. If there’s one thing that gets a company to move, it’s media pressure.
