Some of the biggest stars on Twitch want to team up to ban gambling on the platform. If their demand is not met, they threaten to strike.
Background: So-called gambling or casino streams have been a big topic on Twitch for some time. Streamers are accused of earning millions through gambling deals while their viewers go bankrupt.
Gambling can take various forms: The “Slots” category, i.e., virtual one-armed bandits, is particularly popular on Twitch. However, sports betting and gambling in the form of loot boxes are also under criticism. The latter was also targeted by satirist Jan Böhmermann.
Of all people, the biggest streamer in the world, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, often lands in the headlines with his gambling streams, and well-known German streamers like MontanaBlack and Knossi were also very successful with them for a time.
The debate was reignited by the scandal surrounding Twitch streamer “ItsSliker”, who cheated viewers and fellow content creators out of thousands of euros to finance his gambling addiction.
Now, some of the biggest names on Twitch are getting involved and demanding a ban on this type of stream.
“Is this really what Twitch streaming has become?”
What happened now? Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo, who is among the top 100 most followed accounts on Twitch, invited Imane “Pokimane” Anys, one of the most successful female streamers, to a joint stream on September 19.
In the stream, they discussed the issue. Pokimane stated that she had no idea how big the “Slots” category actually is on Twitch. “Is this really what Twitch streaming has become?” she asked.
She also expressed confusion about why people are upset about the notorious “Hot Tub” streams as long as gambling exists on Twitch. Mizkif sharply criticized the platform for tolerating gambling for so long. He fears they will only ban it if someone takes their own life.
It’s pathetic. Why is it still there? 100% gambling should be banned from Twitch, and frankly: screw Twitch for allowing it at all.
Mizkif via Twitch
Therefore, the streamers are calling on Twitch to take action now. You can watch the entire stream on Mizkif’s Twitch channel.
Streamers threaten protest
This is how the streamers want to exert pressure: The group around Pokimane and Mizkif plans a protest if Twitch does not implement their demand and ban gambling streams – or at least stop allowing advertising in these streams.
During the Christmas season, they want to go offline for a week to hit Twitch financially with the missing advertising revenue.
The demand quickly spread across social media, and on Twitter, the hashtag #TwitchStopGambling is already trending. Many Twitter users report on the dangers posed by online gambling and also share their own experiences.
German-speaking streamers also want to join the protest. Tristan, alias “DurdenGaming,” started a call on Twitter.
However, there are also criticisms of the planned action: While some believe that a one-week protest is not enough (via Twitter), others see it as an endless pit. After all, it’s not clear where the line should be drawn (via Twitter).
What do you think of the protest idea? A good thing and long overdue, or should everyone be able to decide for themselves? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion.
At least one person is likely to be little pleased with the action: MontanaBlack has already expressed criticism of the satirist Jan Böhmermann’s appearance, arguing that the state, not the streamers, is responsible.
