On September 20th, Twitch, the Amazon-owned live-streaming platform, announced a ban on videos of gambling sites not licensed in the US. The ban includes cryptocurrency gambling sites and will take effect on 18 October 2022. If you are interested in online gambling, visit the best US online casinos at roulettesites.org. In this blog post, we will take a look at the ban Twitch announced on gambling sites and how this will affect the gambling industry.
What is Twitch?
When it comes to streaming and video games, Twitch is the platform for these two concepts. This streaming platform is the most used and popular platform for video game broadcast nowadays, with millions of viewers and broadcasters interacting and sharing creative content with others.
Twitch was formed in 2011 as a spinoff division of Justin.tv, focusing on gaming above all else. Twitch became so popular that it prompted the renaming of Justin.tv to Twitch Interactive in 2014. Later that year, Amazon acquired Twitch Interactive. Twitch provides everything you could want to watch, from cuisine to music, Q&Rs, and, most importantly, video games.
Gambling and Twitch
Poker was one of the first games to become popular on Twitch, but in recent years, chance-based games like dice, roulette, and slots have been gaining popularity amongst streamers.
Twitch’s recent popularity with online casino streaming has caught the attention of casinos, which began offering deals and sponsorships to streamers. These often came in the form of money given directly to gamble away on their website while live-streaming.
When it comes to supporting adult activities, Twitch was neutral. However, many streamers and viewers were torn when asked if they should be allowed on the platform. Many believe that streaming has a negative influence on gaming. Some also feel that online casinos and gambling content should not be permitted on platforms such as Twitch due to the potential harm it may cause to children who view it there. This prompted a debate over whether internet casinos and gambling material should be banned from platforms like Twitch, with the site finally deciding to put an end to it on October 18th.
What is the ban about?
Twitch has announced that it will be eliminating all slots, dice and roulette streaming websites from its platform, which is sure to infuriate a significant portion of its users. One of the most popular games on the platform is slots, which accounted for nearly 25% of all video views in January. In order to “emphasize healthy and responsible gaming,” Twitch stated that it was implementing the ban to “promote good habits.” Many gamers have taken offence to the announcement, with several stating that they would seek other streaming sites. Others vowed never to use Twitch again.
Through its Twitter account, Twitch said: “While we prohibit sharing links or referral codes to all sites that include slots, roulette or dice games, we’ve seen some people circumvent those rules and expose our community to potential harm.” However, this ban exempts sports betting and fantasy sports such as fantasy football or poker.
Streamers may make a lot of money by promoting gambling websites. Tyler “Trainwreckstv” Niknam, who has more than 2.1 million followers, says one such site pays him over $1 million each month to gamble with him.
What are the consequences of the ban?
Gambling games have been controversial on the platform for a long time, with negative reactions from streamers and other users. The company has not done enough to control these gambling categories, which could be harmful- especially for kids.
Following all these complaints, Twitch said: “Gambling content on Twitch has been a big topic of discussion in the community, and something we’ve been actively reviewing since our last policy update in this area,” the statement read. “While we prohibit sharing links or referral codes to all sites that include slots, roulette or dice games, we’ve seen some people circumvent those rules and expose our community to potential harm.”
According to Twitch’s current community guidelines, streamers are prohibited from referring viewers to gambling sites or sharing affiliate links/codes promoting these activities. However, a lot of streamers kept doing it.
Regarding gamers who make a large profit from gambling sites sponsorships, they will have to find a new way to make money, as the ban is sure to put a dent in their earnings. Also, it’s expected that after this ban, other streaming platforms such as Youtube and Facebook will also put some new rules in place to prevent their own platforms from being used for gambling content.
This could be the start of a new era for Twitch, one that is free of gambling and other controversial adult activities. This is a big change for Twitch, and time will tell how this will affect the platform and its users in the long run.
What does this mean for the gambling industry?
This ban will likely impact the gambling industry significantly, as Twitch has a large following of young people. This demographic is more prone to taking risks and gambling than older age groups.
The ban could also lead to other platforms, such as YouTube and Facebook, implementing similar bans. This would be fateful for the gambling industry, which relies heavily on social media for marketing and advertising purposes.
Casinos have begun to take notice of the ban as well. Many are now looking for new ways to advertise since Twitch was such a big source of revenue for them. It is yet to be seen how this will all play out, but one thing is for sure: gambling on Twitch is no longer allowed.
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