Streamers Threaten Twitch's Pocket, Call For End To Gambling Streams

Twitch is under fire after notable streamers Devin Nash, Mizkif, and Imane "Pokimane" Anys called for a ban on gambling on the streaming platform. This follows the recent drama involving ex-Team Liquid member ItsSliker, who reportedly defrauded Twitch and YouTube creators upwards of $300,000 to feed his "crippling gambling addiction."

Sliker later admitted to scamming streamers into lending him money, which he never paid back. Instead, he used the money to pay off his gambling debt. This latest fraud has sparked outrage among the broader internet community, with multiple prominent streamers calling for Twitch to ban gambling streams altogether.

Twitch streamers call for the ban of gambling streams

In a lengthy Twitter thread on 19th September 2022, Devin Nash detailed why he believes Twitch should have issued a "platform-wide ban" of gambling streams "months ago," citing that it is "horrible for the platform." This outcry comes after Twitch previously noted it would be "closely monitoring" gambling streams.

The issue of gambling on @Twitch should have resolved months ago with a platform wide ban. I left Twitch over this issue and still feel the exact same as eight months ago when I originally took that stand. Gambling is horrible for the platform. Get rid of it.

— Devin (@DevinNash) September 18, 2022

He continued, "Gambling is damaging to young Twitch users, bad for legitimate advertisers, and brings down the quality of the whole site. It's not about the money," before slamming Twitch's bureaucracy. "Twitch doesn't pull the trigger for the same reason simple changes take years on the website. The right people don't care."

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Devin Nash called out so-called "gambling addicts," noting that "every streamer is accountable for their own platform." Singling out Sliker, Nash said that Sliker should be held accountable for his actions and not given a pass because of his alleged gambling addictions. "He maliciously scammed dozens of people and ruined lives," Devin Nash said.

Later in the thread, Devin Nash clarified that while he believes Twitch should get rid of gambling streams, there are "still streamers accountable for their own platforms."; however, these individuals are becoming rarer.

Using popular slots streamer Trainwreck as an example, Devin Nash said, "That's why I support @Trainwreckstv. He gambles, but his messaging about gambling is clear to everyone. He also funnels hundreds of thousands to mental health and charity."

Notably, Devin Nash isn't the only streamer to feel this way. In an 18th September 2022 Twitch Livestream, internet icon Destiny argued that notable partners like Mizkif or Pokimane should encourage other larger streamers to join them in making a joint statement to pressure Twitch into taking action on gambling.

Pokimane, Mizkif, and Devin Nash talking about early plans to make a joint statement with other top streamers that unless @Twitch takes action on gambling, they will hit them economically during the holiday season (peak ads).#TwitchNews#TwitchStopGamblingpic.twitter.com/pyQPINTOu3

— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) September 19, 2022

As part of the proposal, Destiny explained that they could hit Twitch economically, with these streamers going on a 1-week strike and refusing to stream over the festive period, which is a peak time for high-revenue ads. Accordingly, Mizkif and Pokimane doubled down and agreed they would do it.

You can listen to the full discussion in the video below (thank you, Zach Bussey).

Only time will tell whether this plan will materialize; however, if actioned with the right number of high-impact streamers, it's possible Twitch would concede to banning gambling on the platform. We will endeavor to update you regarding any further developments.

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Featured image courtesy of Unsplash and Twitch.