The downfall of Twitch and online gambling
Did you know that you can follow live online casino players via Twitch? The popular streaming service for live videos has long provided a stage for online gamblers, who stream their gambling adventures on their own Twitch channel.
Online gamers, for example, often stream their game progress, but channels about online casinos are also immensely popular. However, the platform tightened their regulations in August 2021, preventing these types of streamers from sharing sponsored links or codes.
Is this the end of this kind of livestreams on the platform? Not necessarily! We explain how it is.
Twitch and online gambling
When Twitch launched in 2011, the platform was mainly used for live streaming video games. However, streaming online slot games also emerged not much later. It is a fun way to share your gaming experience with others and new players can discover the various possibilities of a slot machine without having to play themselves.
But there are also live streamers who show how, for example, claiming a casino bonus works. Streamers who play roulette, poker or any other table game are also certainly popular. Soon a number of streamers became very, very popular and gained a lot of viewers.
For example, Streamer Roshtein has more than 774.8 K followers on the streaming platform. He has built up this number of followers since he first went live in 2016. His films reach a huge audience and he already has very lucrative collaborations with online casinos had. Other well-known streamers also have a loyal fanbase and earn well from the videos they post.
Collaborations with (crypto) casino websites
Online casinos quickly realized that they could appeal to a large audience via streamers on Twitch. These (crypto)casinos have therefore entered into partnerships with various casino streamers. Streamers were paid well to make live streams about the online casino.
The exact amounts differed per creator and collaboration, but it could be quite profitable for the Twitch streamer. Online casino streaming became a good source of income for these streamers, while for the online casinos it was an effective way of advertising. With every video that was posted, a lot of new players were brought in.
As a result, it was not only a good deal for the streamers, but the (crypto) casino websites also earned very well from these collaborations. The collaborations came about in various ways. Sometimes a sponsored link was shared by the streamer, sometimes the creator got free credit for the online casino and other times the filmmaker got a pre-agreed amount per stream. The amounts increased considerably, but the online Casinos gained a lot of extra fame through the stream.
New gambling regulations
Although the streamers and the online casinos were very pleased with the collaborations, Twitch still saw this differently. In August 2021, the streaming platform came up with new regulations regarding the streaming of online casino content.
It is not forbidden to stream casino content, but the new gambling guidelines do prohibit streamers from posting sponsored links or referral codes. This makes it more difficult for Twitch streamers to refer directly to an online casino. They can no longer make money through the affiliate links and are no longer allowed to give their viewers special codes for bonuses or the like.
While this does not limit the streaming of casino content, it does reduce the opportunities to work with an online casino.
Ban on affiliate links
Affiliate links are links that allow streamers to refer to online casinos. for this they often receive a financial fee. That makes the use of these types of links very interesting for both the streams and the casinos.
A new player sees a casino on a Twitch channel, gets interested and can click through immediately. The new player is happy with the new casino, the streamer earns money from his content and the casino has another player. This is no longer allowed on Twitch. The sharing of special codes or links to a casino bonus is also prohibited from now on.
Although it is still possible to play in the online casino in the stream, no direct links to the casino may be shared.
Protection against scams and possible damage
To prevent harms and scams created by questionable services that sponsor content on Twitch, we will prohibit sharing links and / or referral codes to sites that offer slots , roulette or dice games.” So, In this statement, they say that they are banning the links and codes to prevent any damage and scams.
They say they want to protect their users. They probably do this to protect their younger users. To create a Twitch account, you only need to be 13 years old. Then it is possible to view 18+ content, such as content about online gambling.
This policy raises the necessary critical questions. Banning links could be a first step to give these younger users more protection.
Ban on popular streamer Roshtein
In Twitch's statement, it was announced that streamers had until August 17 to remove all links from their account and from their videos. If they didn't, there would be consequences.
Twitch immediately added action to word by blocking popular streamer Roshtein on August 17. An explanation for his blockade was not given, but there are strong suspicions that this had to do with the new gambling guidelines.
However, just one day later, Roshtein was active again and stated that it was apparently a mistake from Twitch. Whether this was really the case is not clear.
Should casino streamers worry about their earnings?
With the stricter regulations, it becomes less attractive for online casinos to set up partnerships with casino streamers. However, it does not mean at all that collaborations are no longer lucrative for both parties at all.
There are other ways to share links with followers than just via Twitch and other forms of sponsorship are already common. Even without the direct links, the streams generate many new players for the casinos and these collaborations will certainly not stop immediately.
Casino streamers like Roshtein, who have already built up a sizeable fanbase, are therefore little worried about the new regulations. Newer streamers may find it a little more difficult to attract collaborations, but established casino streamers will most likely not have to fear for their earnings.
Streamers now more active on other social platforms
Now that Twitch is making it harder for casino streamers, chances are that streamers will become more active on other social platforms. Many streamers already have accounts on multiple platforms anyway and may start focusing their activities more elsewhere.
Although the regulations of Twitch have now become a bit stricter, streaming casino content is not yet prohibited per se. As long as this is not the case, streamers will certainly continue to do so. But the chance that they will spread the risk and also focus on other platforms is certainly there.
Will more social platforms follow with additional guidelines?
If the focus of streamers moves from Twitch to other social platforms, there is a chance that these platforms will also introduce additional guidelines. A platform where little online gambling content is posted now, most likely also has little regulation on this topic.
If streamers start to focus more on such a platform, it may be that, for example, investment companies will demand additional guidelines, because they do not want to be associated with such content. Especially if the platform is used a lot by underage users, there is a high chance of this. Whether this will work in practice, of course, is the question.
Conclusion
Twitch's stricter guidelines on casino content do not immediately cause the downfall of the platform. Popular casino streamers continue to share their content on the platform, although they are no longer allowed to post direct redirects to the online casinos.
Sponsorships still come about in other ways, which means that the streamers do not have to fear directly for their earnings. Still, the new rules do make Twitch less interesting for casino streamers. If this is the harbinger of even stricter regulations in the future, streamers for this type of content will still switch to other platforms. That could cost Twitch a lot of streamers and viewers.