Popular streamer xQc announces the month's gambling losses

Canadian Twitch streamer Félix Lengyel, commonly known as xQc, admitted to being addicted to gambling in a podcast with fellow streamer Pokimane on May 1, 2022. He mentioned that he lost $1.85 million gambling in one month. Ahead of the podcast, the former pro gamer admitted his struggles with gambling addiction in a separate live stream.

Aside from gambling at online casinos, xQc also practices this habit in practically every game he plays. Perhaps his experience could serve as a cautionary tale for those who aspire to be like him and gain both money and fame by walking down a path that leads to a rather slippery slope if not practiced responsibly. However, despite losing a significant amount of money in the last month alone, xQc still remains one of the top streamers worldwide. He has amassed over 10.5 million followers on Twitch and over 400,000 on Instagram.

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xQc admits gambling addiction in the podcast

During the Pokimane podcast, the streamer openly admitted to playing alongside online casinos in the games he plays. When asked if he would have gambled instead of streaming videos on Twitch, Lengyel mentioned that he lost a huge amount of money in April 2022.

Pokimane was surprised by her fellow streamer’s candid confession, mentioning the detrimental impact of xQc’s gambling live streams on his viewers. While the Canadian agreed it was bad, he enjoyed gambling and committed himself to it because he could afford to lose money without finding himself in a precarious position. Lengyel, who is currently one of the most popular streamers on Twitch, denied being part of any gambling sponsorship.

Previously, the 26-year-old admitted to playing in almost every one of his games. Although he admitted he was addicted and sick, Lengyel said he couldn’t be helped as he tended to get addicted to things.

A popular website published an article based on his conversation with Pokimane, which was widely circulated. The news also reached Lengyel’s father, who was concerned for his son’s well-being. The streamer had a brief altercation with him over a call during a live stream on May 2nd. Lengyel has yet to speak publicly about his addiction and the money he has lost through gambling.

Lengyel continues to rule Twitch

Even though Lengyel lost almost $2 million in April, he still has a huge following on Twitch with more than 10.5 million followers. According to a Twitch statistics website, he tops the Average Viewers and Top Viewers categories.

In 2021, the streamer drew the ire of many for showing viewers that he gambled with cryptocurrency on sites like DuelBits and Stake.

Several viewers pushed for the live streams to be banned as they could encourage young viewers to gamble online. Since the majority of young viewers do not come from a privileged position that protects them from harm, concerns that they are vulnerable to gambling-related harm and addiction are justified.

The poker streaming wave is sweeping Twitch

The recent spate of controversy surrounding xQc highlights the popularity of gambling live stream videos on Twitch. Originally a video game streaming network, Twitch has grown to support a wide variety of content.

Poker streamers earn from a revenue share agreement on Twitch along with various e-wallet affiliate programs. The most popular poker streamers make thousands of dollars by sponsoring famous poker sites and online casinos. A streamer’s financial success depends on the quality of the content they generate and their ability to attract more subscribers. Many online casinos hire these streamers as brand ambassadors due to their immense popularity.

Several professional poker players go live on TwitchTV while playing at online casinos and are reportedly earning a sizable sum. Streamers don’t disclose their earnings publicly, preferring to keep things private.

Despite multiple attempts to keep Twitch streamers’ earnings secret, a cyberattack in 2021 revealed the numbers. Dutch poker streamer and PokerStars Ambassador Lex Veldhuis has been found to have made over $294,000. He was followed by Ben ‘Spraggy’ Sprag with $235,000 and Brian Davis, known by his nickname True Geordie, with $128,000.

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