Streaming services such as Twitch and YouTubeLiveare now a significant part of popular entertainment.

These sites host millions of live streamers andtens of millions of daily viewers.

Streamers broadcast their lives and activities often digital gaming to audiences whointeract and chat with them in real-time.

Gambling streams on Twitch are full of legal and ethical issues

Slot streaming channels have recently made headlines.

Well-known streamers have been racking up views andwagering and winning large sums of money.

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LetsGiveItASpin is a popular streamer in the Slots category on Twitch and YouTube Live.

Live gambling streams inspire some important ethical and regulatory discussions.

The decades-longnorm of disregardingage-gatingin digital games demonstrates how easy these sorts of barriers are to evade.

This suggests new legal concerns for live streaming platforms that allow gambling to be broadcast.

The Conversation

A separate set of issues exist when it comes to transparency.

This involves a gambling site providing a free (or in casino terms, comped) account balance refresh.

Yet determining what is permitted is not always a simple task.

Why do people watch live gambling streams?

With this range of issues, why do people watch live gambling streams?

For people experiencing problems with their gambling, they might turn to casino streams to cope with cravings.

Technological innovation has always developed more quickly than government rules that govern any given space.

As a result, activities like slots streaming fall into an area of uncertainty.

Ultimately, it seems that consideration of consumer protection in this space cannot solely be a government-regulated effort.

Broadcasting real-money gambling inevitably complicates the ethical practices of such a platform.

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