Kick Allows Users to Disable Gambling Streams

Kick launched just 6 months ago as a rival to Twitch, quickly gaining popularity among viewers and streamers. Until today, the majority of successful casino streamers such as Roshtein, Adin Ross and xQc have launched channels at the Stake-owned streaming platform.

Kick Co-founder Eddie Surprises the Community

Unsurprisingly, Kick has a quite liberal approach to gambling content. However, the platform faced backlash for problems like rampant viewbotting of gambling channels and other issues. On June 30th, Craven announced on Twitter that Kick was rolling out “extra view count protection” to “help combat view count manipulation” from tabbed streams and bots.

This change is supposed to ensure that only active viewers in streams count towards view counts, preventing artificial inflation from tabbing.

Even more significantly, Craven revealed Kick would allow users to toggle off certain categories like gambling entirely. He explained this removes “unnecessary exposure” to gambling streams from Kick’s recommendations and front page.

Craven emphasized that while the community continues growing rapidly, maintaining a fair landscape for creators is a priority. Giving users control over their exposure to gambling aims to enhance viewer experience.

Just 48 hours later, Craven provided an update that these changes were implemented successfully. The update included:

• Improved viewer count protection from tabbing/bots
• Resolution of tabbing issues
• Advanced chat bot protection
• Option to disable all gambling streams
• Option to disable hot tub streams

Craven stated Kick will continue optimizing these features to improve user experience.

Kick’s Gambling Streams Can Now Be Hidden

The ability to toggle off gambling streams is a major development given Kick’s close ties to crypto gambling platform Stake. Many streamers switched from Twitch to Kick to freely stream gambling content without fear of bans. This caused the Slots & Casino category to dominate Kick’s viewership early on.

While the influx of gambling likely boosted Kick’s growth initially, it appeared to alienate traditional gaming streamers and younger audiences. Kick’s latest changes suggest a shift in priorities toward a more balanced, viewer-controlled experience.

The response to the changes from the streaming community has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Many feel Kick acted faster than rivals like Twitch in responding to concerns.

Some users argue Kick should outright ban or fully hide gambling streams by default instead of just allowing users to opt out. Others say minors should have gambling streams disabled automatically. Given Stake.com’s interest in promoting gambling streams on the platform, this is unlikely to happen.

So far, most viewers agree Kick’s customizable categories are a step in the right direction. The updates address critiques that Kick had become oversaturated with gambling at the expense of other content.

The ability to enjoy Kick without gambling streams caters to those uninterested in or opposed to such content. It also aims to provide a safer streaming environment for underage users.

At the same time, the changes still allow those interested in gambling streams to easily access that niche content. So the updates ultimately empower all users to customize their own viewing experience.

Kick Seems to Listen to Its Users

Kick has shown a willingness to listen to user feedback and respond swiftly despite their success. The company first addressed concerns around sexual content back in April by strengthening moderation policies.

Kick’s hands-off approach to moderation initially helped attract streamers. But the team realized balancing freedom with user protection is critical, especially as the platform expands.

In the past half year, Kick has:

• Implemented stricter view count protections
• Enhanced bot detection
• Strengthened policies on sexual content
• Added viewer toggles for gambling and hot tub streams

Rapid innovation and adaptation to user needs have fueled Kick’s meteoric early growth. While still a long way from toppling Twitch, Kick’s responsive development approach could make them a serious challenger.

The platform faces plenty of remaining challenges – from fostering a diverse array of content to maintaining site stability. Their commitment to tackling difficult issues head-on is certainly a positive sign.

Ultimately, Kick’s latest round of changes exemplifies their user-focused philosophy: Giving viewers more control over their experience aims to make Kick a destination with something for everyone.

Ryan Davis Founder

Ryan is a savvy casino player from Toronto. In 2021, he founded Clever Casino to teach others smarter gambling.