Trainwreck: Twitch gambling ban has 'nothing to do with gambling'
Popular Twitch streamer Trainwreck claimed that Twitch’s recent ban on certain forms of gambling and specified websites had nothing to do with the platform’s moral stance on gambling but instead Twitch’s alleged disdain for the streamer himself.
On Sept. 20, Twitch addressed the issue of gambling on the livestreaming platform after months of heated discourse among both viewers and streamers. The platform officially banned some forms of gambling, including slots, roulette, and dice games, along with naming multiple high-profile gambling websites that would be banned as well.
The most-viewed gambling streamer on Twitch, Trainwreck immediately took issue with Twitch’s apparent “double-standards” when it comes to gambling. The streamer notably criticized the platform for banning some forms of gambling but retaining sports betting as an allowed form. Trainwrecks that Twitch preserved sports betting due to its ongoing contract with the NFL and DraftKings, which allows the website to stream Thursday Night Football.
On an Oct. 25 broadcast, the streamer went a step further by claiming that Twitch’s ban on gambling content had nothing to do with the act of gambling itself and instead the website’s alleged vendetta against himself.
“You can call me delusion, you can call me crazy, but I’ll tell you, this has nothing to do with gambling. This has to do with Trainwreckstv,” Train said. “I think my clip on Poke’s stream proves that. This is my opinion, if all your arguments are consistent with this just being a gambling thing, then why the fuck does what I make—or my contract—or whatever the fuck have to do with that?”
Trainwreck has previously defended his well-known contract with a prominent gambling sponsor, often discouraging viewers from gambling and claiming he has lost far more money than he has ever won. Despite Trainwreck’s pleads, the streamer has been forced to suspend gambling content for the foreseeable future though he has since spoken on creating a new streaming platform.
Trainwreck’s future on Twitch is uncertain.