Swedish Twitch influencers are part of a worrying trend, according to recent investigations conducted by Kulturnyheterna, the investigative division of Sveriges Television AB (SVT). Alarms have been raised regarding the spread of illicit gambling operations when it was discovered that a sizable percentage of these influencers have been supporting unregistered internet casinos.
Kulturnyheterna investigated the Twitch activity of 10 well-known Swedish influencers over the course of a thorough six-week observation period. It was shocking to see that eight of these 10 influencers openly promoted illegal casinos to their sizable followings. These influencers, who together attracted half a million followers and were mostly young men, used a variety of tactics to encourage gambling.
During their live streams, these influencers resorted to direct marketing tactics, such as sharing links to unlicensed casinos and enticing followers with bonus offers to create casino accounts. Moreover, they actively encouraged viewers to gamble, participated in gambling activities themselves, and even involved viewers in wager decisions, thus exacerbating engagement in gambling-related content.
Twitch’s Role and Regulatory Response
Twitch, a subsidiary of Amazon, has come under scrutiny for its perceived facilitation of these advertising breaches. Despite introducing community guidelines in 2022 to prohibit the promotion of gambling content, Twitch has struggled to effectively address such activities.
The Swedish gaming authority Spelinspektionen has been informed about the advertising offenses after Kulturnyheterna’s findings. Recent actions by Spelinspektionen against unlawful online gaming operations have been decisive, utilizing the expanded enforcement authorities afforded by the gaming Act of 2018 revisions.
The network of skin online gambling companies, which are mostly advertised on Twitch and YouTube, was banned, Spelinspektionen revealed last week. Though it does not address Kulturnyheterna’s inquiry, Spelinspektionen highlights that, according to Swedish legislation, it is unlawful to advertise illicit gaming. Offenders run the danger of harsh punishments, such as prohibitions from operating a company and even police action.
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