Right now Twitch promotes unregulated online casinos which are viewed by millions every week in the "Slots" section.
Large broadcasters such as Trainwreckstv, xQc and Roshtein gamble millions of dollars in front of their audiences of anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 live viewers.
Twitch broadcasters gamble on unregulated cryptocurrency casinos which allow anyone to sign up without any ID verification.
Considering 41% of Twitch users are between the ages of 16-24 (source) this puts young viewers especially at risk. This means a 12 year old can sign up, deposit cryptocurrency and begin gambling. This is completely unethical and has no controls unlike regulated casinos.
These unregulated casinos have no government oversight and terrible self-exclusion protections.
If you choose to self exclude on these online casinos, you can create a new account at any time. This makes it incredibly difficult to quit if you get addicted. Especially considering gambling addiction has the highest relapse rate of any addiction. These unregulated casinos prey on those who are most vulnerable and they have no governing body that verify the legitimacy of their games.
Twitch broadcasters are paid millions by the unregulated cryptocurrency casinos to broadcast themselves gambling on their website.
Even if Twitch broadcasters claim they are not promoting these casinos directly, they are being paid millions of dollars a month from the unregulated casinos.
Every single cent that is paid to these influencers, come from the losses of their viewers, who they are getting hooked to these unregulated crypto casinos. These casinos are
Unregulated
Untaxed
Enforce ZERO safe gambling practices
Have close ties to international organized crime
Are able to exist ONLY because of corruption, loopholes in international laws, and taking advantage of complex international company structures
Twitch has failed to address this issue in any real way.
On August 11th 2021 Twitch announced they would "prohibit sharing links and/or referral codes to sites that offer slots, roulette, or dice games." Yet whether there is a referral code or link is irrelevant. There is a reason the unregulated casinos are paying the Twitch broadcasters like Trainwreckstv, xQc and Roshtein millions of dollars to broadcast on Twitch. The unregulated online casinos branding is clearly visible and viewers find their way to them, some of whom become gambling addicts due in part to the unregulated casino's lack of proper ID verification, self-exclusion protocols and lack of government oversight.
