Popular streamer Tyler “Trainwreck” Niknam has publically stated that he made $360 million from 16 months of sponsored gambling streams on Twitch.
Sponsored gambling streams have been the center of a community controversy in the past, with the issue spreading wider as popular live streamers take contracts from gambling providers and broadcast them to enormous audiences.
Trainwreck has been at the center of these controversies in the past and he’s recently revealed exactly how incredibly lucrative these contracts have been for him.
In a recent live stream while playing Overwatch 2, Trainwreck decided to divulge to fellow live streamer Pokelawl exactly how much he’d made in approximately 16 months of streams sponsored by gambling websites and platforms. The sum total was a whopping $360 million, a staggering amount of money even inside the live streaming space, where multi-million dollar deals are a regular occurrence.
The gambling controversy had been sufficiently controversial that Twitch made its previously murky stance much more official. Twitch has announced it will be banning slots, roulette, and dice games of chance from being broadcast on its platform.
Despite a history of previously broadcasting gambling, Trainwreck has taken time to try and separate himself from creators he insists are trying to convince their audiences to gamble.
Trainwreck took to Twitter to officially address the staggering total but didn’t seem to be taking it very seriously.
In a tweet that linked to a TwitLonger, the streamer said his response was enclosed within, but the Twitlonger linked to a Youtube video of the ending of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight. This was clearly meant to make light of criticism, painting Trainwreck as the silent protector, watchful guardian, and dark knight.
This is in line with Trainwreck’s unconcerned attitude when it comes to any personal controversy surrounding gambling for the most part.
Broadcasting gambling on a platform populated with underage viewers brings with it a bevy of issues that Twitch is choosing to completely avoid when it comes to chance games like slots and dice. It seems a near-impossible task to fully control a market with the level of available capital as gambling, but the broadcasting platform is doing its best to try.
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.
