Top Twitch Streamers Like Pokimane, Mizkif Threaten Strike After $200,000 Gambling Scam

Of course, not all streamers engaged in the conversation share the point of view that gambling is an issue on the platform. Tyler Faraz “Trainwreck” Niknam, himself a slots streamer, tweeted that “the real problem” was the people blaming slots, blackjack, and roulette rather than the individual. He argued that sports betting is normalized, but conceded that the practice of streamers conducting giveaways by using codes that require viewers to engage in gambling is “predatory,” as is highlighting gambling wins while hiding losses on stream. However, he pulls in significant amounts of money with his own lucrative gambling streams and sponsorships. Trainwreck had previously lent Sliker $100,000.

Meanwhile, some content creators, seeing the mobilization from influential streamers around gambling, are disappointed that some of Twitch’s biggest names have been much more silent on other issues. “Where was this energy during hate raids?” asked Tanya DePass (Cypheroftyr), a content creator and activist. “Where is it for the constant racism, homophobia, transphobia & misogyny on the platform?”

Indeed, content creators seem to be much quicker to attribute the misfortune to systemic problems this time. “[Gambling] is a platform problem, not a people problem,” tweeted Devin Nash. “Create the environment for [unaccountable streamers] to thrive and they will appear.”