Streaming platform Twitch will ban live broadcasts of cryptocurrency gambling

Twitch is planning to update its gambling policy, the company announced on Twitter yesterday. «On October 18, we will update our policy to prohibit broadcasting from gambling sites that include slot machines, roulette, or dice games that are not licensed in the US or other jurisdictions,» the statement reads.

An update on gambling on Twitch. pic.twitter.com/lckNTY9Edo

— Twitch (@Twitch) September 20, 2022

The announcement of the policy change was made after popular content creators Pokimane, HasanAbi, and Asmongold called on Twitch to ban gambling on the platform, and the hashtag #TwitchStopGambling became popular on Twitter. The «blacklist» Twitch blacklisted Stake, Rollbit, Duelbits, and Roobet websites. The statement notes that websites dedicated to sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker will still be allowed.

It should be noted that Twitch has previously taken certain measures to combat gambling. In 2021, the company also updated its policy to try to prohibit streamers from sharing links to gambling sites with viewers. However, it didn’t work then.

According to a Bloomberg report, gambling on Twitch is booming as betting, slots, and online casino sites sponsor popular streamers. For example, a streamer with the nickname xQc regularly broadcasts slots to 70,000 viewers and concludes deals with cryptocurrency gambling sites. Currently, the Twitch Slots category is the tenth most popular category on Twitch and attracts more than 86,000 viewers each time it is broadcast.