A big problem with online gambling and its representation on Twitch is that online casinos generally have a rather bad reputation. It is often referred to as rip-off if, for example, betting with play money means that winnings are significantly higher and more frequent than if you play the same games with real money. However, there are also reputable online casinos. How you are able to recognize these can easily be explained with the following infographic (German):
Online gambling is a controversial issue. This is due to the above-mentioned bad image and business practices of dubious online casinos, but also due to the risk of gambling addiction. A viewer could think that it is possible to earn money quickly and easily there and could get addicted to gambling. In 2016 it was a big scandal when James “Phantoml0rd” Varga was banned from Twitch because of his involvement in the gambling site “CSGOShuffle” and advertisement on his channel.
At first, he denied any connection to the site, but claimed to have been sponsored by them. But this is a violation of Twitch’s terms of use, which forbid unlabeled advertising. Recently it was found out that “Phantoml0rd” not only advertised for the platform, but also ran it together with a French programmer, gambled with the profits of the site and had his chances calculated in advance. This type of betting manipulation is fraud and you can go to jail for that in the USA as well as in Germany.
Guidelines on Twitch
How gambling is regulated on Twitch
However, an online casino has a certain gaming component. For this reason, Twitch didn’t want to completely ban the streaming of such content. Since it is foreseeable that many streamers will broadcast this content with an advertising order, there are now some rules and guidelines streamers have to stick to.
Streams are now only allowed to show 30 minutes of gambling at a time. This does not affect the actual streaming time, but refers to the entire stream. This means that after 30 minutes of online casino it should be played “normally” for some time before switching back to gambling. This should prevent channels on Twitch from being used as advertising platform for so-called “gamble sites”. This kind of advertising is very popular right now. Online casinos are actively looking for streamers to promote their product on their channel, giving the casino additional income and new customers.
Raffle & Giveaways
What to keep in mind for Twitch raffles
Now let’s talk about something completely different: Raffles and Giveaways on Twitch. A raffle can also be defined as gambling. Therefore, there are also certain rules for these rewards. It is for example forbidden to make the viewer pay for his participation in the competition. A paid raffle is only allowed to take place with a valid license for online gambling. Since most streamers don’t have such a license, no money should be collected for participation in raffles.
This also includes increasing the chances of winning for subscribers or donators. A legal limbo is the participation in a competition with a virtual currency, which is distributed by a bot due to the time spent in the stream. Subscribers usually receive more of these points for their time and can therefore more frequently buy a ticket for the raffle. This is legal but not always accepted by the users...
Conclusion
You should be careful when displaying gambling in the stream, as well as when organizing your own gambling and raffles. There are a lot of things to consider, so you should do some research on the topic before your first stream. Check Twitch’s terms of use and the legal situation in your home country. For more information on streaming please have a look at our large streaming guide.
Twitch – Players are only allowed to show limited gambling (German Link):http://www.playnation.de/spiele-news/twitch/streamer-duerfen-nur-noch-begrenzt-gluecksspiele-zeigen-id65463.html
CS: GO Gambling – Twitch bans streaming star Phantoml0rd (German Link):http://www.gamestar.de/artikel/csgo-gluecksspiel-twitch-bannt-streaming-star-phantoml0rd,3276004.html
Giveaway Rules Clarification:https://www.reddit.com/r/Twitch/comments/3b0m43/giveaway_rules_clarification/
Olli
E-Commerce & Content
I am our housekeeper, wherever I can help, I stand by with help and advice =)