xQc brushes off more complaints about Twitch gambling streams amid controversy
Twitch: xQcOW / Joachim Kirchner via PixabayxQc streaming on the left, with a separate image of poker chips on the right.
Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has shunned critics after a Twitter thread criticizing his move towards gambling streams gained lots of traction.
With controversy around the hot tub meta having started to die down, a new dubious streaming trend is causing alarm, as gambling streams are becoming increasingly popular on Twitch.
The topic has divided streamers and viewers alike. Some streamers, such as Charlie ‘Cr1tiKaL’ White, fear it could have a major impact on impressionable younger viewers, of whom xQc has many, while WoW streamer Asmongold has called for Twitch to outright ban the streams.
More fuel was added to the fire when economics and esports writer Ollie Ring wrote a Twitter thread accusing xQc of promoting gambling “in a dangerous way.”
“I am fully of the attitude that gambling is a hobby that most enjoy responsibly,” he explained. “But I am also of the attitude that having an influencer over young children constantly winning and over-sensationalizing slots is dangerous.”
I am fully of the attitude that gambling is a hobby that most enjoy responsibly. But I am also of the attitude that having an influencer over young children constantly winning and over-sensationalising slots is dangerous and posits many potential harms.
(8/12)
— Ollie Ring (@olliering) May 28, 2021
After the thread spread across Twitter, xQc tweeted a response to critics, making it abundantly clear that he didn’t care about the criticism at all, no matter who it came from.
“All drama-related claims or questions, here’s my official response: don’t care, keep malding,” he said, prior to appearing on a newlywed game stream with the likes of Ludwig Ahgren and Chance ‘Sodapoppin’ Morris.
UPDATE: WAS RESTING ALL DAY. NEEDED THIS. GOING TO CHANCES FOR THE COUPLES GAMES OR WHAYEVER WITH LUDWIG. ALL DRAMA RELATED CLAIMS OR QUESTIONS HERES MY OFFICIAL RESPONSE: DON'T CARE, KEEP MALDING
— xQc (@xQc) May 29, 2021
Twitch does not currently prohibit gambling streams, and even provides an entire ‘Slots’ category dedicated for streamers who wish to gamble, and xQc has explained before why he doesn’t have any ethical concerns with gambling streams by comparing them to Pokemon card pack openings.
However, there are fears that, as Texas state law prohibits online gambling, xQc and other streamers based in the Lone Star state such as Tyler ‘trainwreckstv’ Niknam could face legal repercussions for using real money on slots.
It seems that unless Twitch changes its policy or the police get involved, gambling streams will be here to stay for the long run.
