Live Streaming and Social Platforms Supercharge Online Gambling Promotion
21 September 2026
From Discord to TikTok, live-streaming and social platforms have become major channels for promoting gambling, especially to young people who engage with this content for real-time entertainment. These apps are increasingly exploited by illegal betting operators, who leverage the interactivity, influencer trust, and platform-specific quirks to reach eager audiences.
Live streams and interactive social content combine powerful elements that boost viewership and promotion. Gambling content creators build large followings by streaming themselves playing, which combines entertainment and advertising in a format where the audience can interact in real-time. For many viewers, this is more engaging than static ads. Furthermore, the veiled self-promotion that gambling livestreams offer can help them avoid strict advertising rules.
The Gambling Commission found that gambling adverts were most commonly seen by 11- to 16-year-olds on apps (45%) in 2023, followed by social media (40%) and live streaming or video-sharing platforms (30%). That same year, affiliated platforms ranked even higher as gambling ad channels. The influence of these channels on young people has grown: among 11- to 16-year-olds in 2024, 42% who recalled gambling advertising cited live streaming or video-sharing platforms.
Authorities warn that promoting or endorsing illegal online gambling services can take many forms, not just live gameplay. That includes adding links to an illegal gambling service, or promoting a platform through a giveaway. Regulators are increasingly treating influencer promotion of gambling as the transmission of illegal services to audiences, regardless of the exact form.
Gambling livestreams offer a potent blend of entertainment and advertising
Academic research found that gambling streams had carved out a prominent niche in livestreaming - they consistently ranked among the most-watched categories, driving a 182% increase in iGaming search interest from 2023 to 2024. 60% of iGaming brand mentions on Twitch and Kick in January 2025 were for Stake, with the brand appearing in 6,600 stream titles. Stake's advantage is its structural ties with Kick, co-founded by Stake backers and built in part to accommodate gambling content.
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Among the top 10 iGaming creators on Kick by hours watched in January 2025, all were streaming on that platform alone. The top three iGaming streamers pulled in over 4.2 million hours watched in a single month, eclipsing many Twitch stars. The alignment between the platform and top creators has drawn viewers away from competing sites, with live streaming becoming the fastest-growing marketing channel for iGaming brands in 2024.
With attractive commissions for influencers and permissive platforms, gambling promotion is bound to migrate toward platforms like Kick. Kick offers a more welcoming environment for gambling content, while Twitter and Instagram have cracked down on gambling promotion. Stream Hatchet reported that search interest in iGaming increased 4X from 2023 to 2024 in part due to the spread of live gambling content.
Expect gambling promotion to keep growing more sophisticated and laissez-faire on niche platforms. Gambling is expanding into casual mobile games and esports titles. Beyond gaming, the Australian Communications and Media Authority warns that any promotional post on social media can be a prohibited ad for gambling. Against that backdrop, betting sites may incentivize influencers and YouTubers to generate links and content without using all the hallmarks that flag them as ads, hoping to fly below the radar.
As these trends continue, gambling operators will target younger audiences than ever before to gain a foothold, preying on the massive daily audience of platforms like Twitch and TikTok. Platforms looking to attract ad dollars and grow user bases may take lax attitudes toward gambling content, which risks driving online gambling forward and off legal rails. That leaves both gambling regulators and online platform operators in tough spots: both are tasked with keeping this content away from young eyes.