After streamer Felix “xQc” Lengyel told fans that he was back to heavily gambling live on stream, gambling has again become a controversial topic within the streaming community.
xQc quit streaming gambling in the past only to come back to gambling sites full force. After losing almost $2 million in one month, xQc told everyone that he could “afford” to be “mentally ill,” demanding that they stop mocking him for his gambling addiction.
In response to xQc’s impassioned rant in support of gambling on Twitch, many prominent content creators have come forward with their own opinions on the subject. Sykkuno was the first to call out the new “gambling meta,” saying he would not be taking part in it. He also judged Twitch harshly for allowing gambling and promoting streamers who gamble.
Now, Imane “Pokimane” Anys has decided to touch on the controversy herself. During a recent stream, Pokimane condemned streamers for gambling on Twitch.
On May 19, Pokimane decided to discuss gambling on her stream, and it’s safe to say she isn’t a fan of livestreaming the controversial activity.
In the past, Pokimane has questioned Twitch’s decision to allow gambling in its Terms of Service. But this time, she also called out the streamers who take part in gambling activities. She accused streamers who gamble of taking money from gambling companies at the expense of their young fan bases.
Pokimane made the point that many viewers end up “losing money” after being inspired by famous content creators who take part in gambling-related activities.
During her stream, Pokimane questioned why people were trying to make gambling not seem as bad as it really can be by comparing it to micro-transactions in mobile games. She argued that comparing gambling to other things doesn’t make it any less bad, agreeing with viewers that it was just “whataboutism” instead of a valid point.
“Just because other things that are less bad are legal [on Twitch], that means we should allow worse things? That is such terrible logic for a productive society. If anything, it should be the other way around. We should say ‘f— gamba’ and ‘f— some of these microtransactions that take advantage of people,’” Pokimane argued.
Pokimane voiced frustration with people that have been trying to make gambling seem “less worse.”
Twitch itself has not shared any public sentiment regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding gambling. With xQc and other streamers bringing more attention to the category on Twitch, it’s likely that the streaming platform will have to discuss the subject at some point in the near future.
Users must be 18+. If you are having trouble with gambling then help and advice can be found at responsiblegambling.org
