Online streaming through the biggest platforms like Twitch has only continued to grow, and over this past year in particular numbers have certainly shot up with streamed hours increasing massively and the number of content creators also growing populating the already large number of popular categories. The biggest streaming platforms have come under fire a little recently however, particularly around the “hot tub” meta that had developed and how it had become a growing cause for concern – although not new to see a new target painted, the poor response means it certainly wouldn’t be the last, and the newest target has found itself within casino and gambling streams – but what is the current streaming relationship with gambling?
Age verification exists, but it’s not robust enough – Whilst the Online Cricket Betting ID do have to flag themselves for being adult content and thus requiring viewers to be over the age of 18, but as it isn’t something that’s realistically enforceable there will always be the risk of underage audiences viewing these games. This may be something where a solution is never found but will certainly be a target of a growing problem particularly as the numbers and time being gambled are extremely high on the platform.
Sponsored and ad streams – Whilst there have been changes where sponsored or advertising streams need to be announced on these platforms, there’s no guarantee that it’s always made extremely clear that this is the case and there are the few that slips through the cracks – and when there’s big streamers able to play tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single session through something that could be sponsored but not immediately clear could certainly send the wrong message to the growing audience.
Growing exposure and long hours – Some of the biggest names have often committed to streaming for long hours, some of the biggest names have appeared on stream playing the slots for sometimes up to eighteen hours per day, and it has certainly shed a new light on streaming and online gambling for some. This growing exposure, whilst good for the online casinos, may not be good for the viewership as there are now calls to regulate the online streaming space in this regard a little, but ultimately that will be down to Twitch and whether or not they feel it’s worth a terms of service change – this rings true for other gambling markets like betting too with longer events, like the upcoming Euros as some may be able to share winner predictions for euro games where online streaming options may be a possibility.
With growing pressures around things like the prior hot tub streaming situation, it has been made clear that change is possible relatively quickly and so casinos may follow a similar path, only time will tell in that regard, but for those that are enjoying the content there’s an entire section dedicated to long hours of different online casino games.