Streamers react to Twitch gambling ban and a lot of them are not happy

metro.co.uk:

Streaming of gambling content such as slots, roulette, and dice games will no longer be allowed on Twitch, in a bid to protect the community from ‘potential harm.’ 

Gambling has been a part of Twitch for a long time and it’s the main form of content for some streamers, such as Trainwreck and Roshtein. Even creators who mainly do gaming or commentary broadcasts, such as xQc, have streamed hours of gambling on their channels in the last year.  

Poker was amongst the first games that became popular on Twitch, but more recently chance-based games, including dice games, roulette, and slots, have became popular amongst an increasing number of streamers. 

This drew the attention of online casinos, which started offering streamers sponsorship deals, which often meant they were giving them money to gamble away on their websites, while live on Twitch. 

That’s when the debate on whether online casinos and gambling content should be allowed on the platform started, with Twitch now finally deciding to put a stop to it on October 18.  

Through a statement, Twitch announced a policy update which will forbid the streaming of gambling websites that include slots, roulette, or dice games. This will apply to websites that aren’t licensed in the US or other jurisdictions that provide ‘sufficient customer protection’, including named companies like Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com, and Roobet.com. 

All four are licensed and authorised through and by the Government of Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island which is a popular location for setting up online casinos. 

However, Twitch will continue to allow websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker. 

The statement mentions that concerns were raised after