Twitch bans slots and other gambling activities after widespread backlash

The #Twitchstopgambling trend, which was started by streamers like Matthew "Mizkif" Rinaudo in the aftermath of the ItsSliker controversy, seems to have finally paid off.

Twitch has announced that it will ban a number of websites that allow betting and games not licensed in the US from October 18, 2022.

In a tweet, the platform said:

"Gambling content on Twitch has been a big topic of discussion in the community, and something we’ve been actively reviewing since our last policy update in this area. While we prohibit sharing links or referral codes to all sites that include slots, roulette or dice games, we’ve seen some people circumvent those rules and expose our community to potential harm."

The announcement comes after widespread backlash from many high-profile streamers, who were calling for a blanket ban on gambling content.

While betting on Twitch has been a long-term phenomenon, its recent upsurge in popularity came after big streamers like xQc and TrainwrecksTV started taking big sponsorships.

Addressing the recent controversy, the company has announced that they will officially ban the following activities:

• Slots
• Roulette
• Dice games

Twitch has also publicly named a few big websites that host such games, and among them are some of the biggest sponsors of its top streamers:

• Stake.com
• Rollbit.com
• Duelbits.com
• Roobet.com

Additionally, the purple platform has stated that the list is not final, and more names may be added in the future.

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"LET’S GOOOOO": Pokimane and other streamers who were at the forefront of the Twitch Stop Gambling movement react to the update

Streamers such as Pokimane, Asmongold, Ninja, and HasanAbi expressed joy at Twitch's new policy, with Ludwig even calling it the "GREATEST POLICY UPDATE IN 2022":

Asmongold reacts to Twitch's latest update (Image via Twitter/@Asmongold)

Gambling content gained popularity on Twitch last year and entered the top ten most-watched categories on the platform this May.

Slots dethroned the popular battle royale game, Call of Duty: Warzone, to become the tenth entry on the list. It held on to the position until September.

Top ten most watched games in the last week (Image via Twitch Tracker)

Many in the streaming community condemned the unfiltered access to streams featuring gamblers. The backlash started after Mizkif called on the platform to ban such streams while reacting to ItsSliker's confession that he scammed others to pay off his gambling debt.

Readers can click on this link to learn more about the controversy.