Twitch under fire for online casino advertising in Sweden

An investigation found that “eight out of ten Swedish influencers” had promoted unlicensed casinos.

Sweden.- Twitch has come under fire in Sweden after a television investigation reported on the extent of advertising of unlicensed online casinos. Sveriges Television’s Kulturnyheterna conducted a six-week investigation which revealed that “eight out of ten” Swedish influencers on the Amazon-owned platform had promoted unlicensed casinos.

In 2022, Twitch introduced a ban on the promotion of online casino operators offering slots, roulette, or dice games without licences either in the US or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection. At the time, it specifically named the sites Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com and Roobet.com. Last year, it followed up with a ban on the promotion of skin gambling.

However, Kulturnyheterna says its probe suggests Twitch is the “most common platform to promote unlicensed casinos.” The programme said in a statement: “For six weeks, Kulturnyheterna has reviewed broadcasts of the most popular streamers and can show that online casino advertising is spread through hour-long live broadcasts where streamers promote unlicensed games to their followers.”

The investigation found that streamers had a collective reach of around half a million subscribers, mainly young men born in the 1990s and 2000s. It said that 60 per cent of influencers used direct marketing strategies, which included providing links to online casinos in their profiles and broadcasts as well as promoting bonus incentives.

Kulturnyheterna said: “The influencers are seen making direct calls to gamble, playing along with their audience and involving viewers in decisions on stakes, deepening engagement in gambling activities.”

Kulturnyheterna says it has submitted its findings to the Swedish gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen. The regulator has warned that advertising unlicensed gambling is forbidden by the Swedish Gambling Act and that police may intervene against violators.