Streaming is something that barely existed a decade ago. Though there were a fair number of streamers, even the most popular figures had tiny audiences and no serious sponsorship opportunities.
Now, game streaming is a huge industry. It has also branched out from video games to a wide variety of other interests including music, debates, and playing slots on cryptocurrency casinos.
After it became obvious that millions of people loved to watch people play video games, people soon began streaming other things. Twitch exploded in popularity after its inception but competitors soon began to spring up.
At the time of writing, Twitch is still by far the biggest streaming platform. Attempts to remove Twitch from its throne have been unsuccessful, with Microsoft’s Mixer resulting in huge losses for the company.
Twitch does have worthy competitors that are worth worrying about. The biggest of these, by far, is YouTube. People can live stream to their audiences and build up subscribers in a similar manner. Facebook Gaming is also in the mix, although its market share is very small.
The crypto casino trend had two distinct phases. Here’s how people first realized that streaming casino games might be a lucrative market, and a look at how the trend boomed.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive is an extremely popular video game developed and published by Valve. Although the game is primarily a first-person shooter, there are in-game items called skins that are worth real-world money. Some of these items go for thousands of dollars.
Eventually, gambling sites were launched where these items could be used to place bets. All sorts of games became available from sports betting to casino games and the skin betting industry was born from it. Content creators latched onto this and found major success, building up significant audiences. Â
The industry died overnight in 2016 when government crackdowns happened due in part to the lack of age restrictions. However, the idea of streaming casino games lived on.
The CSGO gambling scene has now been superseded by crypto casinos. The basic concept is still the same, but the in-game items have now been replaced by cryptocurrencies.
This presents a lot of advantages. For one, the unregulated nature of crypto and the fact that it’s harder for kids to purchase means that cryptocurrency gambling isn’t as politically susceptible as skin betting was.
Secondly, not being tied to a specific game means that a lot more people can play, stream, and watch crypto casino games. Crypto casinos are more accessible and inclusive than games fans aren’t necessarily familiar with.Â
Apart from the fame that comes from having a large following, there is another huge advantage of being a streamer in the money that can be made.
For one, streamers get to make money from the ads that are run on their stream. Streamers also have paying subscribers and sponsorships. On top of all this is the long list of sponsorship opportunities and affiliate partnerships that are flooding into the space at this time.Â
With a combination of these three factors, top streamers can become millionaires and many more are able to make a living.
Despite its current popularity, live streaming is still growing. The industry is expected to be worth over $4 billion by 2028. The audience that follows content creators focused on cryptocurrency casinos will likely grow in concert with that.
The main reason for the popularity of crypto casino sites is that even if viewers don’t have money on the line, the suspenseful nature of betting makes for entertaining content. When it comes to skill-based games such as poker and blackjack, a lot of viewers also watch the most successful players to learn how to play the game and see if they can imitate their style.
No matter what the reason, streaming games on crypto casinos is finding an audience. Chances are that it is here to stay.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
