Twitch Bans Streaming of Gambling Sites That Aren’t Licensed, Will Continue to Allow Poker and Sports Betting

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Twitch said that, starting next month, it will ban the streaming of certain gambling websites that aren’t licensed in the U.S.

or “other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection.” The move by the Amazon-owned livestreaming platform, most popular among game creators, comes after reports that a streamer called ItsSliker had scammed fellow Twitch creators out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to support a “gambling addiction,” as the Verge reported.

In a tweet Tuesday, Twitch announced that as of Oct. 18, it will ban livestreaming sites that provide dice games, slots and roulette.

It identified four sites that will be banned — Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com and Roobet.com — and said “we may identify others as we move forward.” However, Twitch said it will continue to allow streaming of sites that “focus on” poker, fantasy sports and sports betting. “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,” the streaming platform said. “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.” In response to Twitch’s policy update on gambling, Pokimane — a popular creator on the platform who had urged the site to take action on the issue — replied, “LET’S GOOOOO