Interactive live streaming service Twitch, has revealed its plan to crack down on gambling sites that are not licensed in the United States, or possess any jurisdiction that provides sufficient consumer protection to stream on its platform.
The ban which is reported to take effect on October 18th, was enforced after popular Twitch streamers threatened to stop streaming on the platform, which they took to Twitter with the hashtag #TwitchStopGambling which trended for some days.
Some streamers on the platform discussed a week-long boycott during the all-important holiday season, which is a peak period for ad sales on the platform.
Gambling is reported to have found a foothold on the platform where viewers watch streamers bet in cryptocurrency in online casinos. It is reported that users on Twitch watched about 244 million hours of gambling streams in the first half of 2022.
A popular streamer on the platform had admitted to using money borrowed from fellow streamers to fund a personal gambling addiction.
This confession is reported to have sparked a larger conversation about gambling streams on Twitch, which several online gambling companies use as a marketing tool to attract new users.
Millions of streamers on the platform called out the platform, stating that Gambling was causing a lot of damage to young Twitch users, which is bad for legitimate advertisers as it negatively impacts the quality of the whole site.
In a response to address the problem, Twitch issued a statement on Twitter where it stated the platfrom’s decision to update its policy on October 18th to prohibit unlicensed gambling sites.
Although, before the recent uproar as regards gambling on its platform, Twitch has been evaluating the presence of gambling streams for a while. It once banned affiliate and referral links to gambling sites in 2021.
However, the recent policy announcement does not mean Twitch is completely banning gambling, as sites offering slots and other games can still be streamed so long as they are licensed in the U.S.
In addition, Twitch clearly stated that “websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker” can still be streamed on the platform.