"GOLD GOLD GOLD":

Gambling-like elements on Twitch and Kick

Abstract

Gambling-like manifestations are increasingly appearing in video game streams, including enthusiastic responses to loot box openings, randomly obtained prizes from spinning wheels, and wins in real gambling games. The “slots” category on Twitch, displaying various gambling games, has garnered over 1.3 million followers. Previous research has indicated that gambling-like elements in streams may influence viewers to imitate the streamers’ behavior (Grosemans et al. 2024). This could be explained by the Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura 2008), in which people imitate online behaviors, especially when these are rewarded. Twitch recently updated its gambling policy to prohibit the streaming of unlicensed gambling sites in jurisdictions that lack sufficient consumer protection (Twitch 2022). However, being a platform with seven million monthly live streamers, it may be challenging to regulate this ban. These policy changes paved the way for new platforms to jump the bandwagon and promote gambling content. Kick, established in 2022 as a competitor to Twitch, is a prime example of such as platform. Supported by the online casino Stake.com, Kick continues to allow for sponsored gambling content, convincing many Twitch streamers to join the new platform. With them, a lot of viewers also switched to Kick (Browning 2023).