Why is Twitch banning gambling on its platform?

Twitch and bans are becoming more and more synonymous – and now the popular platform has introduced a policy against gambling.

Earlier this month, Twitch was forced to issue a seven-day ban against a user caught having sex on a live stream. User Kimmikka was later welcomed back (changing her username to kim_mikka_) and has since grown her following from a mere 231 to almost 10,000 subscribers upon her return.

Despite not explicitly showing any body parts (thankfully), the act broke Twitch's strict community guidelines.

However, the platform's next victim created a state of confusion online when they banned a cute kitty emote due to "sexual content." In a viral post shared on Twitter, streamer Nicole ‘HallowQweenn’ Marquez quipped: "Really, Twitch!? But hot tub streams [are] ok?"

"Like honestly, no hate to hot tub streams, but sometimes it gets a lil’ crazy. I understand it’s work, but to say my poor lil’ cat emote is TOO sexual?"

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Now, Twitch has announced a gambling ban – and here's everything we know so far:

What has Twitch said?

In a statement posted to Twitter on Tuesday evening (10 September), Twitch said they would be banning "streaming of gambling sites that include slots, roulette, or dice games" after "actively reviewing" the community.

These sites include Rollbit, Duelbits, and Roobet, which Twitch "may identify" when the policy kicks in. One of the most popular slot gambling sites Stake.com, will also be included in the ban.

You can read the full statement here:

When will the policy start?

The policy will be enforced from October 18th.

Will there be a ban on all gambling?

Twitch has not said they will be banning all gambling, though they plan on prohibiting websites that aren’t "licensed in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection."

They added: "We will continue to allow websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy football, and poker."

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