The live streamer Elias “EliasN97” Nerlich is the largest German streamer on Twitch. He has primarily risen to fame with games from the FIFA series and has a generally good image. However, a video from the channel “Simplicissimus” reveals that Nerlich is heavily promoting the app SPITCH, which comes from the field of “Daily Fantasy Sports,” a sector that has faced criticism for its proximity to gambling for years.
Who is Elias Nerlich?
- He is the largest Twitch streamer in Germany. In the last 90 days, Nerlich surpassed his competitors Trymacs, NoWay4u_Sir (League of Legends), MontanaBlack, and Unge.
- Unlike other streamers who are often criticized for their appearance or content, Nerlich has rarely faced criticism and instead gained points for his football content.
- The 24-year-old has gradually climbed to the top of Twitch in Germany over the years, achieving great success recently particularly with FIFA 23, but also with IRL streams.
Daily Fantasy Sport is considered a variant of gambling that profits from addiction
This is now the criticism of him: The channel Simplicissimus accuses him of promoting the services of the “Daily Fantasy Sport” site SPITCH to his viewers and portraying the offer in a misleading way by emphasizing the “skill” aspect of the app while downplaying the gambling aspect.
The app SPITCH is already referred to as “disgusting” in the title of the video.
The whole concept of “Daily Fantasy Esports” is highly controversial, similar to sports betting:
- Because the providers claim it is about skill – “True experts” could earn a lot of money with their knowledge
- Ultimately, this Daily Fantasy Sport is also heavily reliant on gambling mechanics, flattering so-called whales who invest a lot of money in the app and lose a lot
What is so bad about this offer? Simplicissimus explains in its video the exact mechanics with which the app SPITCH aims to get users to invest money into the system:
- While there is a “free” mode that advertises winnings – they must be staked to be paid out. According to the YouTube channel, this almost inevitably leads to playing with real money using the app.
- SPITCH encourages players to dump large amounts of money into the app by promising bonuses for “whales” who invest a lot of money
“These are not bets or wagers or anything” – “It’s really awesome”
What is the streamer being accused of? A key point from Simplicissimus is that the app SPITCH and Elias Nerlich emphasize how important “football knowledge” and the player’s skill are in the betting aspects. Nerlich is directly quoted saying that one can earn a lot of money with the app, “if one has the skill.”
He says:
These are not bets or wagers or anything. This is just a user’s participation, friends, because skill is also required here. There are play fields and no gaming tables. And it’s simply a skill game, friends, with social media knowledge. It’s really awesome.
Elias Nerlich
Here it presents an argument that the US industry puts forward. This argument is controversial since, although skill plays a role – as in many gambling games – studies have shown that the gambling elements in sports betting are still significant, as Simplicissimus points out.
As the YouTuber explains, while a few professional players, particularly those with a scientific background, may have an advantage over average players and whales who invest a lot of money into the game but also lose a lot: Yet even among the pros, the luck factor is present, even more so for regular players.
Twitch restricts gambling – Problems remain
What is now the criticism of the sponsor and streamer? The criticism is that here “gambling” is advertised in a modified form without clearly stating that it is gambling. This also circumvents state regulations for gambling.
Additionally, there are many questionable aspects to the app, which is based in Malta but primarily employs people in Dortmund.
It is thus a very similar criticism to that of loot boxes in FIFA itself, which Jan Böhmermann raised in his show ZDF Magazin Royale.
Interestingly, the “clear” casino streamers have faced sharp criticism in recent months, and Twitch has also implemented new regulations to curb gambling on Twitch. But as seen, there are many other problem areas where exactly the mechanics criticized in gambling are being used:
