Twitch CEO declares gambling ban – or does he?

The streaming of gambling content on the streaming platform twitch has been strictly regulated since October last year. The background to this is still unclear to most users of the website. The latest statement from twitch CEO Dan Clancy doesn’t really clarify the matter any further.

But let’s start from the beginning: Why have numerous streamers been able to stream gambling content without any problems in recent years and why was there a sudden ban on twitch in the first place? Before the ban, gambling was one of the most popular categories across the platform. From slots to live tables to game shows, everything was represented in the streams. Whether streaming star or newcomer, everyone was free to post gambling content. Until the big crash: The drama about the former Team Liquid member ItsSliker rolled over the Twitch Gambling Community like an avalanche and wiped out the genre on the platform. The streamer, plagued by gambling addiction, borrowed money from his friends and followers, which he then spent on gambling and not on himself as promised. Additionally, a number of streamers, including Mizkif and Pokimane, publicly spoke out against gambling and even planned a boycott. TrainwrecksTV’s ominous money transfers to twitch staff (he was one of the platform’s biggest gambling streamers, by the way) were the final straw.

October 18, 2022: The ban on gambling streams on twitch comes into effect

The end of the story: twitch announced the new rules for streaming gambling content in a statement on twitter in late October last year. In general, live streaming of slots, roulette and dice games has been banned. The confusing thing is that poker and sports betting have been exempted from this ban. In addition, an initial statement stated that only unlicensed and unregulated offerings would be banned, without specifying what would be considered licensed in the future. Ultimately, this resulted in the assumption that the streaming of gambling content was completely prohibited for the time being.

Or wasn’t it?

Yes, that’s actually the big question now. In an interview a few days ago, the streamer Filian tried to get a definitive answer out of the newly appointed twitch CEO. Dan Clancy assured that the problem was not with the issue of gambling itself, but with the unregulated third-party websites and offerings. The 59-year-old computer scientist explained that if the providers were more transparent and complied with rules, regulations and consumer protection, the streaming of such content would theoretically be possible.

So far so good, but what does this mean for streaming gambling content now?

Well, for the time being we have to wait and see. In general, with such formulations, Clancy does not rule out the return of the popular genre to the twitch platform. If you look to Germany, you will already find online casino providers who adhere to high industry standards and act in a consumer protection-oriented manner. Perhaps, thanks to the German State Treaty on Gambling, we already have the first candidates for the gambling comeback on twitch!