Why did Twitch ban gambling in the form of slots, roulette, etc?
Twitch recently released a press statement banning many games used for gambling on the platform, including the popular slots. The restriction comes in the aftermath of the ItsSliker controversy, in which significant streamers such as Pokimane and Mizkif started a Twitter trend called #Twitchstopgambling.
While streamers have gambled on the platform in the past, it wasn't until prominent content creators like xQc and TrainwrecksTV that the phenomenon started taking hold of the platform as a whole. In May 2022, the Slots category became so popular that it entered the top ten most-watched genres on the platform and has stayed that way ever since.
However, the Amazon-owned company recently announced that they would be banning slots, roulette, and dice games, which are not legal in the US.
They will also ban the streaming of games from websites that host such games, and the list of restricted websites includes some of the biggest names that have sponsored streamers who currently gamble on the platform. The following is the tentative list:
As noted in the press release, gambling on Twitch was a "big topic of discussion" and was the primary reason they changed their policy regarding slots and other games. The online backlash from prominent streamers such as Pokimane at the front could have impacted the decision.
After the announcement, Pokimane tweeted in celebration of what she felt was a direct result of "public pressure, tweets, and raising awareness."
She had initially tweeted in favor of a ban on September 18 when the ItsSliker controversy was in full swing. The drama hinged upon the fact that a gambling addict had scammed his friends and viewers out of their money to fuel his addiction. Streamers such as Mizkif called upon
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