Twitch has shared the official ruling on gambling after months of backlash. The blog is called “Prohibiting Unsafe Slots, Roulette, and Dice Gambling Sites” and outlines what will be changing on the streaming platform starting today.
Content creators like Felix “xQc” Lengyel were making the gambling category bigger than ever, causing backlash from the streaming community at large. Many streamers were admitting to gambling addictions around the same time. On September 20, Twitch announced that it was going to ban the use of unlicensed gambling sites as prominent streamers threatened to boycott the site during the holiday season.
Now, Twitch has officially updated its Community Guidelines to “further tighten” its ruling on gambling.
Starting today, streamers can no longer broadcast the use of sites that contain slots, roulette, and dice games that are unlicensed in the United States. Linking the sites to chat is also prohibited to ensure that gambling stays out of the streaming platform that largely focuses on gaming.
Prohibited sites include:
Twitch added that they may identify other sites in time. Any updates will be reflected in the official list of prohibited sites on Twitch’s policy language page.
Meanwhile, sports betting, fantasy sports, and poker are still allowed to be streamed on Twitch.
“As with all of our policies, your account may receive enforcement if you stream these prohibited sites. That said, we know this may be an adjustment for some and will be levering warnings in addition to suspensions in applicable cases in order to be fairer to streamers who may not have understood the change yet,” Twitch added.
The effects of the new policy will be realized in a few months. Notable names in Twitch gambling are yet to respond to the guidelines that could potentially shake up the ecosystem.
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.
