Poker content creators fear the end amid new YouTube policy
Creators argue that poker should be treated differently from other gaming verticals like online slots.
US.- A policy change at one of the most popular online video platforms is causing major concern among poker content creators. Back in March, Google introduced new rules for gambling content on YouTube. Poker content creators now complain that their videos are being classed the same as other gambling content, such as online slots videos, leading to age restrictions that can reduce visibility and harm a channel’s chances of growth.
The Veteran poker content creator Kevin Martin, better known as KMart, posted a thread on X, in which he says that his videos are now automatically age-restricted to users aged 18 and over.
Martin claims that his audience was already 99.8 per cent adults. The problem is that the new restrictions mean that users must be logged in to access his content. That reduces the number of adults who will see it. Martin believes that this in turn affects algorithm recommendations. As a result, videos that might have previously received tens of thousands of views, now go nowhere.
Martin says the change leaves online poker content effectively “cooked”. He goes as far as to say the game may be over for poker content creators.
YouTube’s policy change on gaming content introduced in March banned creators from linking to unlicensed gambling sites and introduced measures to restrict underage access. For poker creators, this has led to demonetisation of their accounts alongside the blocking, or age-gating of videos.
In a post written in April soon after the change, PokerListings, names several creators who say they were quickly impacted. While some welcome the intent to protect minors from verticals like online slots, they argue that a blanket application of the same rules to poker goes beyond the original intentions. They say that as a skill-based game, poker should be treated differently from gaming verticals that are based purely on chance.
A piece written in July by Nimra Maqsood on Medium notes that YouTube has introduced measures to penalise low-effort AI-generated content, but for poker creators, the platform demands extra added value like commentary and analysis in order to respond to changes.
Platforms like YouTube have been a popular source of education and entertainment in poker, featuring strategy discussions and tournament breakdowns. But even back in March, a report by Fast Company was questioning why poker content seemed to be getting hit by YouTube’s rules while online casino content often slipped through the net.
