Popular Streamers Threaten Twitch Boycott after $200,000 Gambling Scam – Paste

Over the weekend, Twitch streamer Abraham “Sliker” Mohammed admitted that he had scammed fellow streamers and fans out of more than $200,000 to pay for a gambling addiction. In a confession video, Sliker explained that he had frequently borrowed money from those around him after lying about where the money was going. The streamer started gambling with skins from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive but eventually found he could bet on the game with real money, escalating things further. Sliker expressed remorse for his actions and promised to pay back those he owed. A 2016 report by Polygon found that betting on Counter-Strike skins had become a massive market valued as high as $7 billion that year. Those interviewed described similar stories of how betting with skins acted as an entry point for real-money gambling, with bigger and bigger buy-ins and increasingly large losses. In response to Sliker’s confession, many prominent Twitch streamers such as Imane “Pokimane” Anys, Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo, and Devin Nash have demanded the platform to ban or regulate gambling streams. In recent years, it has become increasingly popular for content creators to broadcast themselves as they bet large sums on slots, loot boxes, and more. Some streamers even…
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