While the future of online gambling in Oregon isn’t certain, streaming service Twitch made one thing crystal clear: You can’t stream gambling on sites like Stake.com.
Controversial Stake.com found its name on Twitch’s ban list on Tuesday, when the company released a statement putting its foot down when it comes to streaming online gambling.
That list could change. If needed, the Amazon-owned company said the list may grow going forward.
Twitch allows streaming for websites that focus on sports betting, poker, and fantasy sports, though.
Twitch’s casino section boomed as of late. Viewers streamed players exchanging money for cryptocurrency, which was then bet on casino-style games and more.
Some major online influencer names like hip-hop artist Drake and streamers Adin Ross and Tyler “Trainwrecks” Niknam all have sponsorships from Stake.com. They would stream their gambling through Twitch.
Is Stake.com or any online gambling legal in Oregon?
Right now, real money online casinos are not legal in Oregon.
The only ways customers can legally gamble online is through the DraftKings Sportsbook, horseracing sites like TVG and TwinSpires, and sweepstakes and social casino sites like Chumba, LuckyLand Slots, and Funzpoints.
That could change down the road, though. Should sports betting boom in its fourth year, legislators may change their minds. But nothing is in place currently that would suggest a quick change in the law.
Stake.com is currently illegal in Oregon. You can’t play legally anywhere in the United States.
“Due to our gambling license, we cannot accept customers from the United States,” Stake.com says. “However you are welcome to signup for our social casino Stake.us.”
Stake.us is a social casino that offers a free gaming experience, according to its site.
Customers in the United States can access Stake.com by using virtual private networks (VPN) that would not signal them as using an online casino in America.
Twitch streamers planned a boycott if gambling wasn’t banned
Twitch came under fire for allowing casino gambling streams recently when big-name streamers threatened to strike if change didn’t happen. Streamer Sliker (Abraham Mohanned) admitted to scamming fans out of more than $200,000 to fund his gambling addiction.
Some of the streaming industry’s biggest names like Pokimane (Imane Anys), Mizkf (Matthew Rinaudo), and Devin Nash planned to boycott Twitch around the time of Christmas in response.
“We did it y’all,” Pokimane tweeted on Wednesday. “public pressure, tweets, raising awareness, it all matters.”
The streamer tweeted “like if twitch should ban gambling” at 12:22 pm CT on Sept. 18. As of Thursday, that tweet has more than 318,000 likes.
Full policy language on Twitch’s gambling policy will come out in October.
