Viewers and critics have long suspected that major streamers get paid to show gambling in their streams. Now Félix “xQc” Lengyel, Twitch’s long-time number 1, has said what many were thinking.
What’s the deal with gambling? For a long time it was something of an open secret: streamers on Twitch entered into lucrative deals with online casinos to show gambling in their streams. Critics claimed that streamers were making millions while their viewers were going bankrupt.
However, in October 2022, the bubble appeared to burst as Twitch issued new guidelines for showing gambling on the platform. Shortly afterwards, the rival platform Kick launched and began poaching streamers for a lot of money.
One of the people behind Kick is Ed “Eddie” Craven, the co-founder of Stake – the online casino with which the big gambling streamers had deals. So it’s no wonder that many of these streamers can now be seen on the controversial platform and that the gambling category is flourishing there.
Now, former Overwatch pro Félix “xQc” Lengyel, who Kick brought to the platform in June 2023 with a non-exclusive two-year, $70 million deal, has said what many were thinking.
From Overwatch Pro to #1 on Twitch to $100 Million – Who is xQc?
More videos
Autoplay
xQc says he never claimed otherwise
What did xQc say? In a Twitch stream, xQc answered a viewer’s question about why he wouldn’t just admit that he was paid to gamble on the stream. The 27-year-old couldn’t understand this accusation at all:
Bro, I haven’t lied about this once, what’s wrong with this guy? Everyone knows it’s me [Anm.d.Red. fürs Glücksspiel bezahlt] become.
xQc came up with the topic after he had let out a few tips against his new kick colleague Nickmercs.
The streamer describes himself as addicted to gambling. In April 2022, he had stated: “I just get addicted easily, so I shouldn’t do gambling. I’m going to do it anyway. Is it good? No, it’s terrible. […] It’s sick, I’m sick,” the streamer shouted. “But you know what? I can afford to be sick. I’m lucky.” (via Dexerto)
In fact, not every addict is likely to have the dubious “luck” of earning up to $100 million for indulging in their addiction. The contract xQc has with Kick includes bonuses of $30 million per year on top of the $35 million if he meets certain conditions.
It stands to reason that these conditions could relate to showing gambling on stream. During its first stream on Kick, Nickmercs claimed that gambling was part of the contract. However, the Head of Partnerships denied this on X, formerly Twitter.
When xQc isn’t gambling, he’s more common in Minecraft. The reason for this is a rivalry with the Swedish streamer Forsen. He recently claimed that xQc couldn’t possibly break his record. You can find out why this is the case here:
“You have to sell your soul” – Twitch streamer explains why the big xQc can’t keep up with him