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The next looming issue for Twitch is the Slots/Video Poker streamers. Similar to swim suits, I don't think gambling as a whole should be totally against ToS. Th

The next looming issue for Twitch is the Slots/Video Poker streamers. Similar to swim suits, I don't think gambling as a whole should be totally against ToS. There are some great poker streamers, and there've been some quite successful charity drives around casino games. But there's also one big streamer, famous with the CoD audience, that lately has been playing video poker on one of those bitcoin casino sites. He has swings of up to $100k in a single night. His audience slants young and there's typically about 40k people watching him. That... makes me a bit uncomfortable. I'm far from someone that wants a nanny state, but I'm squeamish about the idea of say a 20 year old kid watching this behavior as a role model, trying to emulate it, and losing a non trivial amount of money at a point in their life where that would have a huge lasting impact. This streamer can only do this because he's insanely rich so even $100k is just play money.

throway98752343 5y ago
A test I like to use to isolate my concerns is replacement. Replace "actual money" with "fake money" in this casino example. Is the streamer playing poker entertaining, or are people watching because of the high-stakes gambling? Replace "woman" for "man" in these tub streams. Are people watching for the games or the streamer's personality, or for their body? I'd go so far as to say you should be able to replace within any protected class with minimal effect on viewership. If that's not true, there's some bias being expressed.
- prnyjn 5y ago
  This is a great way to think through and analyse this. Did you come up with it by yourself, or did you read about it somewhere?
  - throway98752343 5y ago
    Myself, but I can't be the first.
0xy 5y ago
The ship has sailed on that, given EA and Activision have already pioneered slot machines for kids known as loot boxes.
Nextgrid 5y ago
Besides traditional gambling, there is/was this whole idea of paid "skins" in games (cosmetic enhancements that - thankfully - don't give you any advantage) and there is/was a site where you could gamble with them. Some popular streamers were gambling thousands worth of skins on these sites are were seen winning, while in reality I'm sure the gambling site was actually in on it and was sponsoring the gambling (if not outright skewing the odds in his favour) to entice viewers to do the same (but most likely lose).

throway98752343 5y ago

A test I like to use to isolate my concerns is replacement. Replace "actual money" with "fake money" in this casino example. Is the streamer playing poker entertaining, or are people watching because of the high-stakes gambling? Replace "woman" for "man" in these tub streams. Are people watching for the games or the streamer's personality, or for their body? I'd go so far as to say you should be able to replace within any protected class with minimal effect on viewership. If that's not true, there's some bias being expressed.

prnyjn 5y ago
This is a great way to think through and analyse this. Did you come up with it by yourself, or did you read about it somewhere?
- throway98752343 5y ago
  Myself, but I can't be the first.

0xy 5y ago

The ship has sailed on that, given EA and Activision have already pioneered slot machines for kids known as loot boxes.

Nextgrid 5y ago

Besides traditional gambling, there is/was this whole idea of paid "skins" in games (cosmetic enhancements that - thankfully - don't give you any advantage) and there is/was a site where you could gamble with them. Some popular streamers were gambling thousands worth of skins on these sites are were seen winning, while in reality I'm sure the gambling site was actually in on it and was sponsoring the gambling (if not outright skewing the odds in his favour) to entice viewers to do the same (but most likely lose).