Twitch Bans Unlicensed Gambling Streams and Crypto Betting Sites

Streaming platform Twitch will ban gambling streams and crypto betting sites that don’t comply with its revised terms of conduct, including Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com and Roobet.com.

The new rules announced on Tuesday prohibit the streaming of gambling sites that include slots, roulette, or dice games and come into effect from Oct. 18. 

Gambling in the spotlight

Twitch announced its new gambling rules soon after the revelation that a user on their platform called “ItsSliker,” or Sliker for short, had been conning his fellow streamers out of money. 

After years of swindling streamers, the addict recently confessed that while he told fellow streamers he needed to “borrow” money to pay essential bills or was having bank problems, in reality he was throwing down money on gambling sites.

It is believed that Sliker may have “borrowed” funds totaling up to $300,000, and never returned any of them.

“I lost $27,000 from giving a lend to Sliker. I thought I could trust him and I guess I just couldn’t,” confessed fellow influencer lukeafkfan at the start of the week. The streamer went on to express feelings of hurt and embarrassment at being conned by Sliker.

YouTube influencer and internet detective Coffeezilla, who more regularly reports on unscrupulous crypto projects or crimes, was among those who covered the story. 

“Slicker clearly has an addiction, but he also appears to be a professional con man,” he said.

Thanks in part to his high-profile list of victims, Sliker’s case has now garnered significant coverage. It has also been the catalyst for a wider discussion about gambling in the Twitch community, but in targeting crypto betting sites, the platform seems to have misfired.

Sports betting

In his eventual honesty about the issue, Sliker was quite clear about what types of betting he was involved in. 

According to Sliker his addiction problem started with betting on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) matches, and went on to include sports betting.

The question therefore is why crypto betting sites such as Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com and Roobet.com have become the scapegoat.

As one user on Twitter said: “I don’t get why people are screaming to have gambling on stream banned when Sliker admitted it started with CSGO.”

Trainwreck, a popular streamer on Twitch with 500,000 Twitter followers, shared similar views saying, “the people scapegoating SLOTS, [Blackjack] & ROULETTE and not blaming the individual, are the real problem.”

It appears that for crypto betting sites, the perception of guilt is far more important than any real responsibility.