He was once known for GTA 5 and as an Overwatch pro, today Twitch star Félix “xQc” Lengyel mainly makes headlines with casino streams. Now the 26-year-old Canadian has gone viral again because he lost $164,320 in just a few moments during a live stream. MeinMMO reveals why he didn’t blink and what the fans have to say.
Here is the situation:
- xQc is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch with 10.3 million followers
- After several bans on his favorite GTA 5 server “No Pixel”, he increasingly showed gambling in his streams
- In June 2021, he stated that he was addicted and wanted to quit gambling
- Hardly a year later, he returned in May 2022 with sponsored casino streams
- Since then, there has been not only ongoing stress with fans, even his own father has already intervened
Losing $170,000 in 140 Seconds without Blinking
Is it addiction? “Bad luck in gambling, good luck in love”. If one were to believe the saying, Félix “xQc” Lengyel must be doing really well privately. The former Overwatch pro has come under criticism for his gambling streams for some time now. He plays in online casinos and promotes them in the process. Many find these practices questionable, especially considering his younger fans. So far, the streamer has vehemently defended himself. After all, it’s not his job to raise children.
Now he has gone viral again. Content creator Jake Lucky posted a clip on Twitter showing xQc losing a whopping $164,320 in just 140 seconds. He says that life doesn’t feel real anymore after seeing that.
Not for the first time does xQc suffer high losses in gambling. What shocks viewers and commentators here, however, is the sheer speed at which his account balance is being depleted – and the lack of reaction from the streamer. Aside from an occasional “What the fuck”, it seems to leave him quite cold. Of course, it is said in the comments that it isn’t even his own money. He is just getting it from the casino for promotional purposes.
Others also show concern.
This is what addiction looks like. Get help, X
Twitter user @im_ghast (via Twitter)
In fact, xQc has already said that he becomes easily addicted to things and that is why he temporarily stopped gambling. However, when others bring up a possible gambling addiction, he reacts rather defensively. To his concerned father, he appeared calm in May: “I lost some money yesterday, so what?”
But not everyone has sympathy. Besides the usual criticism that xQc may entice his viewers to gamble, there is also discontent from people whose entire lives could change due to $170,000. “Man, I just need $2,500 to repair my roof” or “The whole [money] down the drain” can be read in the comments. (via Twitter)
Whether the money is his own or has been provided by the casino: it seems xQc has completely lost touch with the amounts he is gambling away. He repeatedly presses the button to set the slots rolling again and seems neither to register the losses nor the small wins in between.
This could soon make him the “face of Twitch” the “face of gambling addiction”. After all, the title “Streamer of the Year” will likely go to someone else.
That there are other ways was demonstrated in May 2022 by popular German streamer Simon “Unge” Wiefels from “ungespielt”. He turned down a deal worth 5 million euros and sharply criticized the casino streams.
