Streamers as influencers are being affected by gambling harm:
“I played cards and stuff like that but I never felt the true power of addiction. The casino gave me $75,000 in-game credits to play with per stream which was pretty good. But I just couldn't stop. It turned me into a selfish person and caused a lot of pain to my friends and family. I lost almost half a million dollars, but I kept playing. It was OK because I was sponsored but I still felt sick to my stomach. There’s no duty of care from these companies. When I told them I had developed a gambling addiction, they cancelled my account. I lost the money I had on there before I could cash it out. I see more and more gambling adverts - a pandemic of addiction is on the horizon.” – David (not their real name)
From Sky News:
“Crypto casinos are similar to 'normal' online casinos, offering virtual versions of popular games like slot machines. The difference is they use digital currencies: Players convert pounds, euros and dollars into virtual cash such as bitcoin to gamble with.
Her investigation uncovers some troubling practices in this online community; such as how some influencers may be playing with 'fake' money provided by casino sponsors, while others could be breaking British law by promoting and showing how to access these sites, which are illegal in this country.
She speaks to streamer HasanAbi, who turned down a gambling contract, about this world - in which other streamers such as xQc and Trainwreck, have millions of followers who watch them gamble online.”
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