Is banning affiliate links on Twitch enough? No! The NCPG want more such as age restrictions on streams containing gambling content. (Image by Benjamin Zocholl from Pixabay)
More needs to be done! These are the words that have emerged this week from the Problem Gambling National Council, following Twitch casino referrals clampdown reported in this week’s breaking news.
The popular live streaming platform, Twitch, has gone ahead with plans to introduce strict measures that will limit gambling promotions significantly, but as we said/asked in that report, will banning affiliate links be enough? Well, the answer came sooner than we expected as NCPG Keith Whyte rightly pointed out that although Twitch’s decision to ban affiliate links is commendable, there is still the issue of gambling content that is not age-restricted.
Last week, Twitch announced that they would prohibit the sharing of promo codes, referral links and website links attached to dice games, roulette and slots. The reasoning behind this move was to prevent scams from occurring, which will in turn help to battle one of the harms associated with gambling. Twitch insists that it will continue monitoring gambling content being streamed through its service and may be forced to review restrictions if necessary. However, the platform must be careful not to succumb to much to the calls of anti-gambling campaigners because let’s face it, if your site contains gambling content, someone, somewhere will always have an issue.
The new restrictions have come into enforcement this week, to which the National Council for Problem Gambling and other groups have said that this move is welcomed as a strong first step. The National Council for Problem Gambling has long been a loud voice in the gambling industry and has been expressing concerns about platforms such as Twitch for a while.
Safety First, Urges the NCPG
The executive director at the National Council for Problem Gambling, Keith Whyte, spoke about the recent news. He is confident that this first step is one in the right direction for the safety of the consumer, however, there is still work to be done in the future. As technology changes and advances, no doubt there will be loopholes that begin to form, and that is another concern. The NCPG are focused on protecting the vulnerable, which include, young users; Twitch has a particularly young demographic.
Whyte insists that everybody has reason to be concerned with Twitch as it allows illegal and unregulated gambling to be broadcast. Popular streamers are paid by sites such as Roobet and Stake, to play casino games and stream to audiences in the tens of thousands, or more. It should be a mandatory requirement for Twitch to put the health and safety of its viewers first. Young people are particularly susceptible to modern trends, and streaming services, like Twitch, enhance the appeal of certain content. Completely shielding young users from these technologies is unrealistic, so to ensure that the content is appropriate and safe, is certainly a more efficient way to protect the young and vulnerable.
The National Council for Problem Gambling is also calling out to Twitch to allow gambling content to be viewed by adults only. There should be intelligent mechanisms established that are capable of getting trustworthy age verification. In addition, those who are streaming content must be of legal age, and are legally allowed to gamble within their jurisdiction. These are the beliefs of Keith Whyte, and the NCPG, but they are also echoed by other groups such as Epic Risk Management, who are a group focused on eradicating gambling-related harm.
In a final word, the executive director, strongly suggests that there should be more transparency as to the conditions in which the streamer is playing. It could be free play, sponsorship, bonuses, rewards and also promoting responsible gambling in the form of regular massages.
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