Amazon-owned content streaming platform Twitch is apparently not following its own policies. It’s still allowing video game ‘skin gambling,’ and is also allowing more skin of a different kind – artistic nudity.
In response to growing concerns regarding the promotion of CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) gambling sites on its platform, Twitch implemented a ban on promoting CS:GO case opening sites and gambling this past August. Designed to help prevent underage gambling, this move was met with positive feedback from the gaming community, and it was assumed that streamers who profited off the case openings would take a financial hit.
However, there has been no apparent change in the prevalence of CS:GO gambling content on the platform. This is despite Twitch, which recently pulled out of South Korea for financial reasons, specifically saying in August, “[CS:GO gambling] promotion/sponsorship is not allowed on our service.”
Skin Gambling Alive and Well
Video game skin gambling is the practice of using virtual in-game items, often referred to as “skins,” as currency to bet on the outcome of professional or amateur eSports matches or other virtual events. The gambling typically involves streamers conducting live streams of matches or events while viewers can place bets using their own in-game skins. The streamer acts as a mediator or host, handling the distribution of winnings and managing the overall betting process.
In addition to skin gambling, users can still find access to sites that promote video game gambling on Twitch. This is something the platform expressly began to prohibit in August.
Dexerto, a news outlet that follows the global gaming industry, reported on Thursday that it has yet to identify a single channel that has been penalized for promoting these sites. It analyzed familiar gambling content channels and didn’t find any difference between August and now.
The media outlet reported that both individual streamers and tournament organizers continue to promote case-opening platforms and stream their gambling activities. They even still use Twitch extensions like Magic Wheel to win prizes. A user on Reddit, atalanthus, also recently verified the connection.
Before the ban, YouTuber HOUNGOUNGAGNE, a self-described CS:GO “addict” with 727,000 subscribers, discovered that approximately 75% of the top 300 CS:GO streamers on Twitch incorporated gambling sponsorships into their broadcasts. Surprisingly, according to Dexerto’s investigation, this figure appears to have remained consistent despite the explicit ban, raising questions about Twitch’s enforcement of its own guidelines.
The media outlet contacted Twitch for input, as has Casino.org, but didn’t receive a response.
Twitch Allows More Skin
Skin gambling isn’t the only ‘skin’ being offered on Twitch, and another type is going to grow in popularity. The platform claims to be on a mission to cut down on gambling content, but is heading in the opposite direction with bare skin.
Twitch recently revamped its policies on sexual content for streamers, aiming for clarity and transparency. The updated guidelines, detailed in a blog post, are designed to ensure content creators understand the rules and viewers can expect the intended experience.
One significant change allows “artistic nudity,” encompassing nude figure drawings of any gender. The policy allows for content that shows the “breasts, buttocks or pelvic region.” The creator must include the ‘Sexual Themes’ label to prevent unwanted access, according to Twitch.
Twitch has confirmed that it will also allow other types of content, including “fictionalized (drawn, animated, or sculpted) fully exposed female-presenting breasts and/or genitals or buttocks regardless of gender,” “body writing on female-presenting breasts and/or buttocks regardless of gender” and “erotic dances that involve disrobing or disrobing gestures, such as strip teases.”
Despite this, there appears to be some ambiguity in Twitch’s definition of “artistic content,” as demonstrated by recent incidents. Steamer and OnlyFans model Morgpie recently received a ban for a viral video of her dancing, although she didn’t actually show her “private parts.” Her ban is still in place.
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