The recent promotion of a crypto gambling website during a UFC stream has left Twitch viewers scratching their heads.
The move goes against the platform’s own Terms of Service, which caused significant backlash from the streaming community last October. While Twitch has since taken action against gambling content on their site, users are now calling out the platform’s hypocrisy.
Twitch’s new policy prohibits creators from streaming unlicensed sites that contain dice games, roulette, and slots in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Stake.com, Rollbit.com, and other similar sites have been listed as prohibited. Yet, viewers were shocked to see the gambling site promoted in a recent UFC stream.
A Twitch viewer called out the platform in a recent LivestreamFail thread. They shared a clip of Stake’s advertisement on the octagon’s mat during the UFC match, questioning Twitch’s actions.
Other users have also expressed their disappointment, calling out Twitch’s hypocrisy and suggesting the platform is reverting to gambling.
While some have argued that the UFC’s promotion of the gambling site isn’t a violation of Twitch’s Terms of Service, the policy restricts streamers from sharing referral codes with chat, verbally directing viewers, or displaying banned site links on banners.
The situation is slightly ambiguous, and it’s unclear whether the UFC promotion violated any rules.
Gambling on Twitch has been a controversial topic for a while, and despite the platform’s policy update, the Slots category remains massive on Twitch. However, the list of banned sites continues to grow, and it’s possible that Twitch’s stance on gambling may change in the future.