Turkey’s National Lottery Association recently announced it would ban of popular streaming platforms Twitch and Kick within the country. The decision comes amid growing concerns about gambling activities on these platforms. Both Twitch and Kick have faced controversies involving gambling, with prominent streamers like xQc and Trainwreckstv participating in such activities during their broadcasts. However, it seems to be reversing course.
Gambling regulations in Turkey
Turkey has strict regulations concerning gambling, overseen by the National Lottery Administration. Turkish journalist Ibrahim Haskoloğlu disclosed on X on February 13th that Kick was the subject of a BTK investigation due to Kick’s cooperation with foreign gaming companies, provision of gambling activities on its platform and recent entry into Turkey.
He revealed on February 23 that Twitch suffered a similar fate, having its access denied by the General Directorate of the National Lottery Administration because of content that was similar to what was on Kick.
Kick is unbanned while Twitch remains banned
While both platforms were initially banned, recent developments indicate a shift. Kick has reportedly been unbanned after removing gambling content, as per journalist İbrahim Haskoloğlu’s report. However, Twitch remains blocked due to its failure to censor certain types of betting streams.
Kick’s partner manager, ‘Trq,’ confirmed the removal of gambling-related content from the platform for Turkish users. This swift action led to Kick’s reinstatement in Turkey. However, Twitch’s ban remains in place.
Gambling on streaming platforms
The ongoing debates surrounding gambling on streaming platforms are demonstrated by Turkey’s decision to ban Twitch and Kick. Kick has successfully resolved regulatory concerns and is back in business, but censorship issues keep Twitch unavailable in the whole country. The current situation demonstrates the challenges platforms face when navigating regulatory environments without sacrificing the quality of their services.
In order to support streamer revenue and handle growing costs, Twitch announced price increases for Tier 1 subscriptions and gift subscriptions in a few countries in a recent update.
