On Sept. 20, Twitch announced many forms of gambling, including slots, roulettes, and dice games, would be prohibited, starting on Oct. 18. Twitch’s decision to remove gambling content after months of heated debate on the platform immediately drew the attention of countless prominent creators both on and off of Twitch, many of who rejoiced Twitch’s choice.
Gambling content has held a tenuous position on Twitch. Though bringing in massive amounts of viewership on the website, many creators have challenged the ethics of gambling and gambling sponsors on the platform.
Reignited by some of Twitch’s largest content creators taking sponsorships from gambling sites, influencers both on and off of the platform have since called for either the complete removal or strict policing of gambling content.
On Sept. 20, Twitch finally addressed the rampant gambling debate amongst its viewers and creators, officially stating that the website will cut many forms of gambling content in the near future.
Mere moments after posting its decision via Twitter, streamers flooded the announcement replies, the overwhelming majority in support the decision.
Pokimane: “We did it y’all”
OTV member and prominent Twitch streamer Pokimane took up a staunch anti-gambling positioning following fellow streamer Slicker’s shocking debt revelation. Pokimane, alongside Mizkif and several other creators, quickly adopted the #TwitchStopGambling hashtag and even planned a strike off Twitch.
Shortly after the news regarding Twitch’s policy update dropped, Pokimane applauded the efforts of her community and supporters. “We did it y’all,” Pokimane wrote, citing the public pressure put on by her viewers all mattered in overturning Twitch’s gambling policy.
Asmongold in disbelief
Co-owner and founder of OTK, Asmongold responded in sheer disbelief over the unexpected policy update. Another long-time anti-gambling opponent, Asmongold was loathe to believe Twitch would ever put a halt to gambling on the video hosting platform.
“Holy shit they actually did it,” Asmongold replied in shock.
“Gambling banned on Twitch.” The normally silent website’s reaction to the community-driven request stunned the veteran streamer, a similar reaction many others shared.
Ludwig applauds past platform’s decision
Many former Twitch creators were also quick to voice their opinions in the ensuing discussion. Ludwig Ahgren is one of the most notably figures to transition from Twitch to YouTube, though he applauded his former platform’s decision to end gambling in the near future.
Ludwig touted the move by Twitch as the “greatest policy update in 2022.”
Another streamer avidly in favor of putting restrictions on gambling, Ludwig often voiced his idea to disallow gambling sponsors or force gambling streamers to wager their own money instead of sponsor funding.
Myth warns fans about impending arguments
Myth is one of the most recent former Twitch streamers to sign an exclusive streaming contract with YouTube. Similar to many other recent YouTube converts, Myth still gave his previous platform the recognition he believes it deserved.
Though happy with the progress Twitch made to remove gambling, the streamer warned this decision would likely spawn debate in the streaming fandom.
Ninja commends Twitch in spite of switch
Ninja, who notably was unpartnered in order to pursue his radical new streaming strategy, was one of many who commended Twitch for its decision to ban gambling content. Though a regular poker player who has appeared on several high-stakes betting streams, Ninja came out in support of the decision and described Twitch’s choice as a “big step in the right direction.”
Gambling has undoubtedly been one of the most hotly contested issues on the platform, though one that Twitch has officially put versions of the infamous streams to rest.
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