Pokimane promoted GAMBLING to thousands of underage fans
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“We did it y’all,” Pokimane tweets after Twitch limits gambling, but she promoted gambling to her underage fans!
While Pokimane, Hasan Abi, Mizkif, and the rest of the elite Twitch broadcasters are pointing fingers at online casino gambling streamers as the evil ones, they have promoted gambling to thousands and thousands of their underage fans.
Thousands of Aussies enjoy safe online gambling from the privacy of their own home, and while it may be immoral to promote gambling on Twitch considering the platform allows children as young as 13-years-old to sign up, there’s a plethora of 18+ content that promoted their on the daily that does not violate their terms of service.
For instance, there is an entire section for borderline adult content where scantily clad women exploit their bodies for bits and donations and the majority of these streams are not marked for mature audiences.
Popular Twitch streamers, who are also opposed to Twitch gambling streams, have promoted Pokemon trading cards to their underage audiences on many occasions.
Pokemon trading cards are gambling.
The Gamer, an online games publication, argued in an article that anyone contending that in-game loot boxes are gambling must also admit that opening Pokemon trading card packs is gambling.
In early 2021 Imane “Pokimane” Anys did a sponsored Pokemon trading card unboxing livestream. She was gifted USD$25,000 worth of Pokemon trading cards and during the livestream she unpacked 4 high value cards.
A single pack of 10 Pokemon trading cards costs AUD$7 but the price can go all the way up to AUD$300 depending on the pack and the size. As an example the Pokemon TCG Ultra Premium Collection – Charizard costs AUD$299 and consists of only 95 cards.
However, buying the more expensive packs increases your chance of unpacking high value cards. If you purchases 10 standard packs for a total of AUD$70, you’d have 100 cards, but the chances of pulling something valuable would be much slimmer. In a sense, there is a financial intensive for you to spend more on each card in hopes that you get better cards.
This involves gambling. This acts similarly to slot machines. You can play a single line and still have a chance of winning, but if you play multiple lines and increase your stake, you have a bigger chance of winning a larger pot.
Kids buy these packs dreaming of unpacking super rare cards worth up to millions of dollars. Some cards are worth as much as USD$100,00. YouTuber and podcaster Logan Paul unpacked an Illustrator Pikachu card that is valued at USD$5.3 million which is larger than most lottery jackpots.
Buying Pokemon trading card packs is gambling. Pokimane and her Twitch friends were sponsored to promote gambling to their underage fans.
Why gambling should not be banned on Twitch.
As for xQc, TrainwreckTV and other online gambling streamers, they have an audience that consists mostly of men between the ages of 18-25. Most online casinos or gambling sites also require age verification and/or a credit card to sign in to.
Pokemon trading cards, on the other hand, can be acquired at local supermarkets, identification is not required, and there is no limit on the number of packs that can be purchased. In general, trading cards are aimed at minors and are not regulated in any way.
The bottom line is anything can become a dangerous habit. A lot of Twitch streamers drink and smoke during their livestreams, however there is no repercussions for that. Alcohol and nicotine addiction literally kills millions every year.
Time Magazine reported that alcohol-related deaths among U.S adults ages 25 and up increased 25% in 2020, and 22% in 2021, compared to average annual deaths from 2012 to 2019. Yet Twitch advertises alcohol on their platform.
