Twitch’s gambling streams have become a big success for streamers like Tyler “Trainwreck” Niknam, but not everyone is happy with the practice. During a recent stream, Imane “Pokimane” Anys called out the practice, and the fact that it’s losing viewers a lot of money. These gambling streams are sponsored, which results in a lot of cash for Trainwreck and other streamers. Trainwreck claims that his on-stream losses are “a great example of why you shouldn’t gamble,” but the fact of the matter is that those streams are clearly inspiring others to gamble and lose, a fact that Pokimane takes issue with.
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“That’s his perspective, but the issue is, he is convincing himself that that’s true when in reality he has no data or evidence to back that up,” Pokimane said on stream. “However, we do have evidence to the contrary, which is the fact that these companies are giving him money every single month, which means that his viewers are indeed losing money on these sites every single month. So, as much as you want to say that the tactics and precautions you do prevent people from gambling, ultimately you are losing people money, and the proof is in the check you get every month.”
Whether you enjoy watching gambling streams or not, it’s hard to dispute Pokimane’s point: these streams are causing viewers to lose money, and could even result in some viewers developing gambling problems. While Trainwreck can point to his losses and claim that it shows the downside of gambling, the reality is, he’s essentially playing with the house’s money. When he loses, it’s easier for him to shrug off based on how much he’s getting paid to do these types of streams. His viewers can’t say the same, and their losses are going to hurt significantly more.
It will be interesting to see whether or not gambling streams continue to find success on Twitch. There’s clearly a market for it, but it’s easy to see how it could become problematic.
Do you watch gambling streams on Twitch? Do you think that streams like this encourage viewers to gamble? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!
[H/T: Dexerto]
