Beware the Wolf in Twitch Clothing
Some iGaming operators seem ambivalent to the need to adhere to regulations. If they can't be bothered to play by the rules, there's no reason to believe they'll conduct their activities properly.
Tyler "Trainwrecks" Niknam is a popular Twitch streamer. He was hired by Stake.com to promote its website to his 1.5 million followers. Texas is not a legal gambling state. Legal experts say promoting illegal gambling is the same thing as promoting gambling. Stakes. com and Trainwreck haven't responded to Wired's request for comment.
Twitch is the most popular streaming platform. iGaming is accessible and easy to play. 64 of the top 1,000 most-trafficked Twitch streamers are sponsored by crypto i gaming sites. Duelbits pays a gambling streamer $1.6 million a month to stream the operator's slots. Stake and Duelbit are fully licensed by Curacao but not licensed to serve US customers. Keith Whyte, executive director of National Council on Problem Gambling, says gambling promoted on Twitch poses risks for consumers, vulnerable adults and adolescents.