Like other streamers, Jaryd “Summit1g” Lazar thinks Twitch needs to do something about gambling streams. But, he believes banning them isn’t the answer and they should regulate them instead.
“I think there should probably be some thought process put into how accessible it is,” he said. “If the big worry is showcasing and influencing a younger audience into gambling, you have to have some [precautions in place].”
The reason is that he believes banning gambling on Twitch is easier said than done. He pointed to the Amazon-owned platform’s long history of hosting poker streams and poker tournaments to support his claim.
“I mean, poker is a whole category,” he said. “You’ve had broadcasters on the website for years and years that have played poker. So, what do you do about poker? Is poker gambling?”
Summit1g explained that, in his view, you could argue that poker is gambling regardless of whether there is an element of skill involved or not because it can impact people’s lives negatively.
“Do people fall into the trap of hambling in poker and losing their lives over it? Absolutely,” he said. “So, it’s like, where does poker fall in that? Do you just get rid of all the broadcasters who have spent years here doing it?”
For that reason, he believes it’s a nuanced issue that requires some additional brainstorming before Twitch takes action.
“It’s not as easy as just being like, ‘Yeah! Just ban it!’” he said. “That’s all I’m saying.”
Summit1g isn’t the only streamer who has expressed this view. Platform top dog Felix “xQc” Lengyel made similar comments in Aug. 2020, although he mainly referred to games with gambling features instead.
According to Bloomberg, Twitch is “in the midst of a deep-dive look into gambling on Twitch.” It will be interesting to see what sort of solution they come up with.
