Twitch May Be Feeding More Gambling Addictions
Colorful slots icon set for casino slot machine, gambling games isolated, mobile puzzle game design, vector illustration

Twitch May Be Feeding More Gambling Addictions

Gaming fans are well aware of Twitch, which allows competitors to engage in e-sports, online competitions and much more. But the streaming platform has also gained some notoriety for its gambling accessibility, particularly for its crypto slots which allow for endless bets using bitcoin and other types of cryptocurrency. The scary thing is that area of the platform remains completely unregulated, which is leading many advocates to speak up on behalf of those suffering from betting addictions.

The website Buzzfeed recently covered this growing trend, shining a light on the gambling dangers associated with Twitch. Writer Lauren Strapagiel broke down some of the specific temptations a channel like this can pose, particularly now that crypto slots have earned their own streaming category. And, of course, it doesn’t help to have the experience built up to be a flashy and visually stimulating experience; welcoming gamers to drop as much as $1,000 on each spin.

Strapagiel shared concerns from several influencers on the platform, including the noted World Of Warcraft gamer Asmongold. In a Tweet that was “Liked” over 14,000 times, he laid out why Twitch’s crypto slots are so problematic.

Twitch Twitch,gambling,Addiction

And Asmongold wasn’t the only high profile name to cry foul. The issue has gotten so serious that the executive director of The National Council on Problem Gambling made a statement about it. Speaking to Buzzfeed, Keith Whyte called out the accessibility of the crypto slots and the risks it poses to underage minors. “We at NCPG absolutely believe that the current Twitch environment leads to and likely exasperates gambling addiction among vulnerable viewers, both adults and in particular children or adolescents,” he told the site. “There’s plenty of evidence that watching gambling can trigger the urge to gamble yourself. It also normalizes the act.”

The most popular slots platform on Twitch happens to be called Stake. It labels itself as an online casino and strictly uses cryptocurrency, making transactions much more difficult to track. It is also most commonly accessed via VPNs, which is a purposely evasive tactic.

The call to action is for Twitch to crack down on these platforms, forcing them to close and put more safeguards in place for all younger users (in the hopes that it can steer them away from any type of compulsive behavior). As we’ve mentioned before, online gambling tendencies have increased dramatically throughout the COVID-19 pandemic so it is imperative that these users (particularly youngers ones) are made aware of these types of dangers.

 

 

This Post Has 16 Comments

  1. gate io

    I would like to thank you for the efforts youve put in penning this site. I really hope to view the same high-grade content by you later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own website now 😉After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I recieve four emails with the same comment. Is there a way you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!Under the section “Is a raw food diet healthy”, it reads “Whether or now”, I think it should read “or not”. Helpful information, thank you. I’m trying to help my husband transition to eating more raw and whole foods, but also keeping the fun in eating, which has an unfortunate meaning for most people. Just a rewire is needed I think!

  2. gateio

    I have read your article carefully and I agree with you very much. This has provided a great help for my thesis writing, and I will seriously improve it. However, I don’t know much about a certain place. Can you help me?

  3. pokerdewa

    Dewapoker adalah penyedia layanan perjudian pokerdewa yang sudah beroperasi sepanjang bertahun-tahun. Bersama pengalaman yang kita punyai, pastinya kita bisa memperkenalkan pelayanan sangat baik serta handal buat Kalian semua. Bersama web kartu poker dengan taruhan sangat baik ini.

  4. Reading your article has greatly helped me, and I agree with you. But I still have some questions. Can you help me? I will pay attention to your answer. thank you.

Leave a Reply