Live streaming gambling: who watches, why and what effects is it having?

About the study

This is the first research project to address live streaming gambling – the internet broadcast of live video showing people gambling for real-world money, focussing on the websites Twitch and Kick. Broadcasts of live gambling are viewed by audiences ranging from a from a few, to tens of thousands, who can simultaneously interact in real-time with the broadcaster and other viewers using the chat feature. 
This study was funded by a research grant from the Responsible Gambling Fund to the University of Sydney to understand who watches live streaming gambling, why, and what effects it is having.

The methodology

The research used a four-part methodology: 

1. a textual analysis of a hundred news and commentary pieces from a range of both Australian and global media outlets which addressed gambling live streaming
2. a survey of over three hundred gambling live stream viewers
3. observational research on gambling live stream broadcasts on both Twitch and Kick
4. studying the viewer-to-viewer and viewer-to-streamer interactions taking place in the chat windows of these broadcasts.

Key findings

This research provides foundational information about live streaming gambling. Some key findings are:

• gambling live streaming viewers tend to also consume live streaming of video games and are involved in their own gambling both online and offline 
• live streaming is not limited to leading sites Twitch and Kick, with many viewers consuming gambling live stream content on YouTube, TikTok, and others
• viewers of these live streams enjoy communities of shared gambling interests and experiences – such as wanting to learn about gambling, enjoying watching the thrill of gambling play without their money being risked, a general interest in gambling, and an interest in the amount of money being gambled
• stream chats contained a substantial amount of conversation about other gambling activities, including superstitious beliefs about gambling
• the chat was regularly integrated with fake-money gambling games that viewers regularly engaged with
• most surveyed viewers said that gambling live streams would encourage rather than discourage them from gambling.

Suggested citation

Johnson, M. R. & Jackson, N. J. (2024). Live Streaming Gambling: Who watches, why, and what effects is it having? Sydney: NSW Responsible Gambling Fund; University of Sydney, Australia.