There have been all sorts of fireworks at online streaming platform Twitch regarding cross-streamers switching between video gaming to online gambling and where these content creators are getting their money from. Amongst the issues are concerns over potentially sketchy sponsorships, the effects on underage viewers, and the legality of streamers playing online casino games in countries where the activity is not lawful. Twitch recently threw a spanner in the works by announcing it will prohibit sharing links and/or referral codes to sites that offer slots, roulette, or dice games, starting on August 17.
One of the most highly visible streamers throughout this controversy has been popular content creator Tyle Niknam, better known as ‘Trainwreckstv‘. On September 3, Trainwrecks confessed to viewers he was uncomfortable with the deal he had in place with his sponsor Stake casino. He mentioned being ‘…at a point where it’s no longer a crossroads.’ In an emotional outpouring, he wonders, ‘… is there weird s**t going on?‘, seemingly as a reaction to his hot run at Stake and the possibility of the games being rigged for promotional purposes. This is a question many have been asking for a while now, both viewers and content creators themselves.
According to Trainwreckstv, he’s ‘trying to keep it as clean as possible and take just as much risk as the regular user would.’ This is interesting because, in the past, Trainwreckstv has urged viewers not to emulate what he does because they do not benefit from the sponsorship deals certain Twitch gambling streamers are privy to. These are deals allegedly worth millions of dollars. Massive deal leaks led to fellow Twitch streamers like Ludwig pointing out that ‘… what can be problematic is sponsored gambling streams where it’s perceived that the person is gambling their own money, but they’re instead gambling money they were paid for.’
During the clip, Trainwreckstv wonders out loud, ‘Are we dealing with extreme insane luck?‘, questioning what he is seeing – ‘Some of these statistics are near-impossible, do you understand? It’s near-impossible.’ And yet, he also expresses discontent with his situation, saying, ‘I’m f**king down a good amount… everyone is down in my f**king group… The entire world is f**king down.’
However, Trainwrecks does not explicitly state he will stop streaming gambling content. Instead, he ‘wants to gamble‘ but wants to ‘be clean‘ as well, since ‘my brand on this s**t.‘ The driving issue appears to be that ‘it’s getting to the point where I don’t know if I feel comfortable anymore.’
Throughout the debate, Trainwreckstv has been one of the most visible gambling streamers on Twitch following fellow streamer xQc’s decision to pull out of the gambling meta. So, what does it say if someone so entrenched in the activity is questioning the system? Then again, it’s not the first time Trainwreckstv has brought up the idea of quitting or at least slowing down. Trying to keep up with Niknam’s mixed signals can be tricky, one-minute telling viewers – ‘Please, I beg you, do not gamble… You cannot gamble. You will lose, do you understand? I cannot stress it enough‘, while continuing to create online casino content and enticing viewers to take big risks . For how long though, some will be questioning.
