Twitch Streamers Rake in Millions With a Shady Crypto Gambling Boom

 Twitch Streamers Make Millions with a Shady Crypto Gambling Boom

TYLER NIKNAM WENT to Texas. Niknam, 30 years old, is a popular streamer on Twitch. His nickname is Trainwrecks, which he has 1.5 million followers. Niknam, a prominent Twitch sponsor and his main streamer, was playing on Stake.com for hours. He was able to entertain 25,000 people by hitting the slots. He had been winning huge, sometimes up to $400,000 in crypto, and never seemed to be broke. The problem was? It wasn't allowed.

Stake's US-based site will prompt you to use a US-based browser. Legal experts have told WIRED that the promotion of illegal gambling sites and the making of money by referring US residents may be illegal.

Niknam posted, "Canada must happen asap" in a private Discord to Felix "xQc," Lengyel (25), Twitch’s number two streamer. Lengyel briefly streamed slots, but stopped in June. "You cannot prove you're on stake at any time." Niknam arrived in Canada several days later. There, he established a routine, which included playing slots in an empty apartment for up to a dozen hours per day. WIRED reached out to Niknam and Lengyel but they did not reply.

Twitch is currently experiencing a gambling boom thanks to so-called crypto casinos. These websites allow gamblers the opportunity to buy cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, which can be used in digital games of chance such as slots, blackjack and baccarat. Stake and Roobet offer lucrative streams that pay thousands of dollars an hour to stream the casino games. Duelbits, a gambling website, offered Adin Ros a monthly stream of slots on Twitch for between $1.4 and $1.6million, according to a Discord conversation between Ross and Duelbits. WIRED reached out to Ross for comment, but he was recently suspended by Twitch because he used his phone while driving. Stake, Roobet, and Duelbits didn't respond.

WIRED found that 64 out of the top 1,000 most popular Twitch streamers have broadcasted crypto slots, or advertised sponsorship deals at crypto gambling sites. The trend gained real momentum in April and May 2021. Some streams draw more than 100,000 people live. Many of these streamers have joined Twitch's Partner program, which offers top creators additional support and features, such as revenue sharing. This is Twitch's highest-ranking streamer group. Twitch says that the company seeks "role models to the community", a community in which 21 percent are 13-17 year olds.

What is it not a good idea to heed these role models advice about? Gambling is dangerous. Some streamers might be gambling with house money. The streamers are being paid by crypto casinos to maintain the illusion of effortless fun. These streams have been shown videos, leaked chats, interviews, and other information about crypto gambling on Twitch.

Matthew "Mizkif", Rinaudo, a Twitch streamer in June stated that "it wasn't mine money." Rinaudo, 26, claims that he was being offered gambling streams for $35,000 per hour - twice the price of his usual sponsorships - for 10 hour-long streams over a period of one month. According to one person who works with several Twitch streamers, these streams can cost thousands of dollars each hour. He had streamed gaming earlier this year, only five times in April. Sponsors were filling his crypto casino accounts, once with $5,000. Additionally, he would advertise affiliate links at attractive discounts. Rinaudo quit working with crypto-casinos online in June despite the lucrative business opportunity. WIRED did not reach Rinaudo to request comment.

"Morality came into existence. It did. "I felt shitty doing any kind of gambling sponsorship," said he later. "And I understand people are like Mizkif, however, you do sponsors all the fucking days. What is the worst that can happen when you download Dungeons and Dragons. You can lose $40 and some hours of your life. Gambling is something else. how to play mexicos super gamble 40 winning is simple