Twitch Gambling Ban – Key Reasons and Policy Changes
By
Kevin Lentz
Writer at Casinos.US Updated: 03/19/2025
Kevin has been involved in the gambling industry since the ‘80s. From winning tournaments to casino management, he’s ultimately done it all. Throughout the years, he’s written for various iGaming publications on topics such as the legal landscape of online casinos and strategies behind winning. His favorite game is blackjack.
Twitch Gambling Ban
- A Few Twitch Statistics
- Is Gambling Allowed on Twitch?
- Allowed Gambling Activities on Twitch
- Prohibited Gambling Activities on Twitch
- What is the Future of Gambling on Twitch?
With many popular streamers like Trainwreckstv and Canadian rapper Drake involved, Twitch gambling has been around and thriving since 2018. Following much controversy and backlash, the platform’s rules and policies have recently changed to restrict such activities and provide more adequate customer protection. Stay tuned as we break down the reasons for these changes and what they entail.
A Few Twitch Statistics
Founded in 2011 and acquired by Amazon in 2014, Twitch has quickly become one of the biggest live streaming platforms for gamers worldwide. According to different reports, it has more than 240 million active users a month and an estimated 44 million users from the US alone. We’ve included a few key numbers below:
| Active Streamers (Jan 2025) | 7.7 million |
| Average Concurrent Viewers | 2.6 million+ at any time |
| Average Daily Users | 30 million daily |
| Average Twitch User Age | 26 years old (70% under 34) |
| Male vs. Female Audience | 63% male, 37% female |
The average age of Twitch users is 26 years old – a fact that has also put the focus on the exposure of a younger and sometimes more harm-susceptible audience to the promotion of gambling and illegal sites. All of this, as well as one significant controversy from back in 2022, has raised concerns about the platform’s safety and the need for change.
Is Gambling Allowed on Twitch?
While gambling on Twitch is still available, the platform has implemented new rules and guidelines to allow certain types of activities and prohibit others. This comes in response to the 2022 controversy, including streamer ItsSliker admitting to scamming fans and other Twitch influencers and raising over $200,000 to fund his gambling addiction.
One of the most popular Twitch gambling streamers, Trainwreck, shared that he’s personally given Sliker $100,000. Many other known and unknown users also came forward with their stories and put pressure on the platform to take the matter seriously and enforce changes. In the following paragraphs, we’ll provide you with a detailed breakdown of the current Twitch gambling policy, starting with a short overview:
| Allowed Gambling Activities on Twitch | Prohibited Gambling Activities on Twitch |
|---|---|
| Skill-based games such as poker, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports are allowed on Twitch. They have to be streamed from licensed sites that comply with the platform’s latest regulations. | Luck-based games such as slots, roulette, and dice games are prohibited by the new Twitch policy and so is streaming from unlicensed gambling sites regardless of the game being played. |
Streamers are now required to clearly disclose any online gambling sponsorships, so their audience is aware that they get paid for this content. There’s also an age requirement for gambling streams on Twitch, which is 18 years old. This is an attempt to restrict an easily impressionable audience from being influenced by such content on the platform.
Allowed Gambling Activities on Twitch
Gambling streamers on Amazon-owned Twitch can engage in what are considered skill-based games in which the outcome is predominantly determined by the player’s competencies, abilities, and skills rather than pure luck. This includes poker, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports contests.
However, these activities can be streamed only from gambling sites licensed by official US regulators, such as the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The latest Twitch gambling rules are very strict regarding the platforms used for live streams.
Prohibited Gambling Activities on Twitch
Purely luck-based games such as slots, roulette, and craps are entirely prohibited by the new Twitch gambling policy. This includes sharing referral codes to slots sites with your chat group, including banners with links to online roulette games, and verbally referring your chat to a site containing dice games. Skin gambling on Twitch is also not allowed.
The latest Twitch gambling rules strictly prohibit streaming from sites without a valid US-specific license. In addition to that, a casino must have safety protections, such as deposit limits, waiting periods, and age verification systems. The use of VPNs or other geolocation-blocking software is banned, and so are the following sites:
- Stake.com
- Rollbit.com
- Duelbits.com
- Roobet.com
- Blaze.com
- Gamdom.com
In its community guidelines, Twitch explicitly states that it reserves the right to identify other gambling sites to ban from the platform. Users have the chance to report accounts broadcasting or uploading restricted content via the user report tool under the option “Prohibited Game.” This may lead to strikes and temporary account suspensions for the violators.
What is the Future of Gambling on Twitch?
With about 7.7 million active streamers in January and an average of about 30 million daily users, Twitch has the responsibility to provide a safe environment for all parties involved. And while many believe that the latest guidelines for gambling on Twitch fall short of expectations, we think they are a good start. They prove the platform’s dedication to protecting its users and preventing harmful and predatory activities.
It’s also our personal responsibility to engage with legal online casinos and gamble within limits. Pay attention, look for US-specific licenses and trust signals, and don’t believe everything you see on the internet. Gambling should always be treated as a fun pastime activity and never as a means to achieve sustainable income of any kind.
