Twitch kicked itself: Where casino influencer marketing goes next

Before the ban took effect in October 2022, Twitch was a highly valuable promotional channel for online casino operators. It was particularly efficient for reaching younger, digitally savvy players who may not engage as highly with traditional media advertising.

• Interaction in real time:
  Viewers could watch streamers play real-money online casino games live, reacting to wins, losses, and bonuses as they happen.
• High trust factor:
  Popular influencers built loyal followings and created a sense of transparency that traditional marketing channels struggle to match.
• Monetisation via affiliates:
  Creators were often linked directly to casino brands, driving conversions through unique promo codes and deposit bonuses available on their profiles and streams.

Despite these benefits, the platform's lack of clarity regarding regulations, combined with mounting criticism over responsible gambling practices, forced Twitch to take a firm stance. 

Twitch’s decision to impose a ban on casino game affiliate links led to a sharp exodus of gambling creators. Practically overnight, a key channel for many casino operators disappeared, leaving them scrambling to adapt their marketing strategies and outreach.

No other streaming platform at the time offered the same scale, engagement, or discoverability that Twitch did. With no clear alternative to pivot to, the industry saw influencer marketing fragment across multiple platforms and niches. 

The key impacts on casino marketing

• Loss of reach:
  Twitch’s unique blend of live content and real-time audience interaction was unmatched and difficult to replicate quickly elsewhere.
• Migration of talent:
  High-profile streamers began experimenting with rival platforms like Kick, YouTube, and Telegram, often bringing their audiences with them.
• Increased scrutiny:
  The ban signalled a growing push for responsibility and transparency across gambling promotions, influencing how creators and operators work together.
• Diversification of strategies:
  Instead of relying on one dominant platform, casino brands have switched to investing in multi-platform influencer strategies. These include short-form videos, community-led marketing, and private VIP channels.

Although Twitch still hosts poker, sports betting, and educational casino content, its golden era as the go-to place for casino game streaming is over. 

Operators must now adapt to a more scattered and nuanced influencer landscape, where compliance, creativity, and strategic targeting matter more than ever. Here are some of the alternative channels online casino influencers are using: 

Kick

Kick quickly emerged as the post-ban successor to Twitch for casino gambling content. With a familiar interface, looser content restrictions, and a pro-gambling stance, it has rapidly become the preferred platform for high-stakes casino streamers.

Advantages: It is reported to offer favourable revenue splits of 95/5 in favour of creators, further helping to boost its reputation as a natural voice for casino influencers leaving Twitch. 

Considerations: Much of Kick’s momentum can be traced to its backing by Stake.com, the high-profile crypto casino at the centre of Twitch’s 2022 gambling controversy. Stake was one of several operators banned from Twitch for promoting unlicensed gambling content, and its role in launching Kick raised immediate questions about transparency, compliance, and platform independence.

For casino operators, Kick offers access to a high-conversion, gambling-friendly audience, but it comes with a need for careful vetting, clear disclaimers, and a long-term compliance strategy.

YouTube

YouTube is still one of the most powerful content platforms in the world and well-suited to casino-related influencer marketing. It’s particularly good for long-form content, game tutorials, and strategy videos.

Advantages: As the second-largest search engine globally, YouTube offers excellent discoverability and long-term value through evergreen content. Casino influencers can use it to build trust, explain game mechanics, and promote bonuses if they do it in a structured and informative way.

Considerations: YouTube has stricter community guidelines around gambling than Kick, particularly regarding affiliate links and promotional language. Videos often require age restrictions, ad disclaimers, and careful framing to remain compliant. It’s best suited to educational gambling content, not affiliate promotions.

For operators, YouTube is ideal for building trust in your brand and player education. It can fit into your wider SEO strategy, but shouldn’t be relied on as a main affiliate channel. 

Telegram

Telegram is a popular messaging platform that supports encrypted chats, large group communities, and channel-based broadcasting. This makes it a good place for VIP retention and engaging high-value users. 

Advantages: Telegram enables direct, real-time communication with users, ideal for pushing offers, bonuses, and event announcements. This allows influencers to build moderate but loyal communities and drive highly targeted traffic to casino platforms. 

Considerations: Telegram is less regulated than mainstream platforms, which means there’s more risk of association with grey-market online casino activity. That said it still has policies prohibiting real-money gambling ads. Operators must ensure that influencer promotions remain fully compliant with advertising and responsible gambling laws.

Telegram is most effective when used as part of a broader community-building strategy as opposed to a stand-alone channel. It works especially well for VIP, crypto, or international online casino audiences. 

Discord

Originally built for gamers, Discord has become a global go-to platform for community engagement and private content sharing. It supports live chat, audio rooms, and private servers, along with several rich integration options.

Advantages: Discord allows influencers to grow niche gambling communities where users can discuss online casino games, share results, and receive exclusive offers. It’s excellent for building high-trust micro-communities that are ideal for driving player retention.

Considerations: Like Telegram, Discord requires careful moderation to ensure compliance with its policies, particularly when promotional content is involved. It also requires ongoing investment in setup and community management to maintain engagement across well-organised channels.

For casino operators, Discord is best used to nurture small groups of VIP players or loyal online casino fans. It can be used in collaboration with well-established influencers to create exclusive and highly engaged online communities. 

Instagram

Instagram is a platform well-known for visual storytelling, lifestyle content, and brand aesthetics. Online casino operators can look to use it to build their brand image, but it’s not an ideal channel to promote aspects such as gameplay and stats. 

Advantages: Influencers use Instagram to create aspirational content, showcasing the lifestyle around casino gaming rather than the games themselves. It’s great for brand awareness, event coverage, and collaborative promotions via Stories, Reels, and carousels.

Considerations: Instagram has strict policies on gambling promotion, and many features, such as link sharing, are limited for non-verified accounts. Therefore, promotional content must always be subtle, clearly disclosed, and responsibly framed. 

For casino operators, Instagram is best suited to soft promotion, brand visibility, and influencer collaborations that highlight experience without any direct calls to action.

TikTok

TikTok is the leading platform for short-form, viral content, offering huge reach, especially among younger demographics. 

Advantages: Creative and entertaining content performs well on this platform. Influencers often use TikTok to share game reactions, gamified trends, or behind-the-scenes snippets, making it a useful tool for brand buzz and discovery.

Considerations: TikTok has tight restrictions on gambling promotion, and content can be flagged or removed quickly if it appears too sales-focused. Operators must work with experienced gambling influencers who know how to navigate these rules with native-style content.

For online casino providers, TikTok works best when raising brand awareness, but not specifically for new player acquisitions. 

Podcasts 

Gambling-focused podcasts are an emerging channel and present an ideal opportunity to target highly engaged niche audiences. They offer long-form storytelling and expert discussions that can quickly build authority and trust with an audience.

Advantages: Podcasts are ideal for educational content, industry insights, and deep-dive interviews. Sponsorships and affiliate mentions can be seamlessly integrated into the content, and episodes typically have long shelf lives. 

Considerations: Podcasts tend to have lower reach but higher overall retention, so success often depends on finding the right niche or hosts. They’re less effective for direct conversions but excellent for reputation building and long-term brand engagement.

For casino operators, podcasts provide a unique opportunity to position themselves as thought leaders, especially in tightly regulated or high-value markets.

As the influencer ecosystem grows ever more fragmented, casino operators must prioritise quality over simply aiming to reach as many potential players as possible. Now, more than ever, it’s essential to work with creators who understand local gambling regulations, platform guidelines, and the importance of trust and transparency.

When selecting influencers to represent your casino brand, focus on those who have a solid grasp of the following areas:

• Clear disclosure: Choose influencers who openly disclose affiliate relationships to maintain transparency and trust with their audience.
• Responsible messaging: Prioritise those who consistently promote responsible gambling and safe play practices.
• Regulatory awareness: Work with influencers who understand and follow the gambling laws in your target regions.
• Platform expertise: Select creators with a proven ability to navigate the specific rules and ad policies of each platform.
• Brand alignment: Only partner with influencers whose tone, values, and audience match your brand's identity and goals. 

The advantage of building long-term relationships with compliant, well-informed creators cannot be overstated. It will help you to achieve better ROI while protecting your brand from future reputational or legal risks.

Twitch’s gambling ban certainly marked a turning point in how online casinos approach influencer marketing, the effects of which are still being felt. While the loss of one dominant platform created short-term disruption, it has also opened the door for operators to build a more creative and compliant promotional strategy across multiple channels.

By diversifying influencer efforts and doubling down on transparency, online casino providers can build stronger player trust, expand into niche markets, and future-proof their brands against further regulatory shifts.

If you’re looking to scale your iGaming business, Agreegain offers complete turnkey solutions, including affiliate integration, compliance support, and multi-channel marketing tools. We can help your casino thrive in the new era of casino influencers.