Twitch To Ban Streams Featuring Gambling On Unlicensed Betting Sites
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The Amazon-owned streaming portal Twitch is cracking down on some forms of gambling.
According to Twitch, it will prohibit content from some websites that offer unregulated slot and table games.
“Gambling content on Twitch has been a big topic of discussion in the community, and something we’ve been actively reviewing since our last policy update in this area,” Twitch said on Twitter on Tuesday. “Today, we want to update you on our plans. While we prohibit sharing links or referral codes to all sites that include slots, roulette, or dice games, we’ve seen some people circumvent these rules and expose our community to potential harm.”
“So, we’ll be making a policy update on Oct. 18 to prohibit streaming of gambling sites that include slots, roulette, or dice games that aren’t licensed in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection. These sites will include Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com, and Roobet.com. However, we may identify others as we move forward.”
Just a handful of U.S. states legalized online casino gambling within their respective borders. Those states include New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Online sports betting is allowed in roughly 20 states.
“We will continue to allow websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker,” Twitch continued. “We’ll share specifics on the updates to our Gambling policy soon, including the full policy language, to make sure everyone is clear on our new rules before they take effect on Oct. 18.”
The move by Twitch came just days after an unrelated controversy surrounding a gambling scam.
“On Sept. 17,” Buzzfeed reported, “Twitch streamer Abraham ‘Sliker’ Mohammed admitted in a video that he scammed fans and content creators out of at least $200,000 to support his gambling addiction (others claim the total is over $380,000, but this is unconfirmed). Sliker would say he needed the money because he was locked out of his bank account, then use the money to bet on the outcome of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive games and sports.”
Some popular streams said they would boycott Twitch later this year in protest of the platform’s gambling rules, Kotaku reported.
It’s unclear if Twitch’s gambling announcement had anything to do with the planned boycott.
