Twitch Bans Gambling Sites After Pokimane And Other Streamers Threaten Strike Action

Gambling, and whether or not it should be allowed, has been a hot topic on Twitch lately. Streamers playing and broadcasting online gambling seems to have been rising in popularity lately, which of course has the potential to be harmful to young and vulnerable viewers.

Twitch can be a really fun place too, of course - check out some of our favourite wins and fails below.

Very recently, as Kotaku writes, a number of huge Twitch names, including Imane “Pokimane” Anys and Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo, had been discussing this issue, and it was suggested that a joint statement should be sent to Twitch stating that the platform should either take an anti-gambling stream stance, or the streamers would strike during Christmas week (typically a high-traffic time). Now though, Twitch has issued a statement outlining its plans to ban a number of big gambling websites from being streamed.

“Gambling content on Twitch has been a big topic of discussion in the community, and something we’ve been actively reviewing,” the statement reads. “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." 

“We’ll be making a policy update on [18 October] to prohibit streaming of gambling sites that include slots, roulette, or dice games that aren't licensed either in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection,” it continues. “These sites will include Stake, Rollbit, Duelbits, and Roobet. However, we may identify others as we move forward. We will continue to allow websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker.”

Twitch promises to share more specifics on these new rules before they come into effect.