New Twitch rule bans gambling links

Video game streaming site Twitch has implemented new rules that prevents gambling streamers from linking to online casinos, or including referral codes anywhere on their channels.

Until yesterday, streamers could stream themselves playing slots games at an online casino site as a form of affiliate advertising, advising viewers to go and visit the site to play these games themselves.

Partnering with third parties to advertise is key for casino operators, and Twitch provided a great way to show off the inner workings of a site and the games it offers to an audience interested in gaming.

However, Twitch has come under fire in previous months for allowing streamers to advertise gambling without disclosing the full extent of the agreement with the casino operator.

This is the first move Twitch has made to consider the safety of viewers and children who may watch these streams, however more could be done by the UK Gambling Commission to protect children from gambling.

Casinos could fill a streamer’s account with funds, allowing them to play for the duration of a stream and trick viewers into thinking that they were using their own money. 

In a creator update released last week, Twitch said “To prevent harms and scams created by questionable services that sponsor content on Twitch, we will prohibit sharing links and/or referral codes to sites that offer slots, roulette or dice games.”