xQc Reveals Tremendous Gambling Losses To Pokimane
Gambling streams are the controversial meta that continue to captivate viewers. And recently, some streamers have revealed that taking a risk with your money doesn't always pay off. Trainwrecks shared some hard truths about one of his massive wins, telling fans that the millions of dollars he won doesn't even touch the debts he's accrued throughout his gambling streams. Mizkif said he was offered a $10 million deal to partner with a gambling company, but ultimately declined the deal because he'd have to leave the country in order to comply with laws. Regardless of whether streamers are in favor of gambling streams or against them, playing with real money never fails to stir up controversy.
Then, there's xQc. The frequently-banned streamer has gotten honest about his gambling addiction recently, telling viewers straight up that he loves to gamble. The streamer confessed that, unlike many people, he can afford his expensive addiction. However, that might not be the case for long. xQc sat down with Pokimane to record the first episode of their podcast and ended up discussing the massive losses he's experienced as the result of his gambling addiction. While the podcast itself might already be in trouble due to xQc's lack of a cohesive schedule, that didn't stop the two streamers from discussing xQc's recent confessions about his struggle with gambling.
xQc lost a massive amount of money by gambling
After some casual chat, things eventually turned serious when Pokimane began discussing gambling sites. She explained that gambling sites want to make a profit off players, so they sometimes intentionally rig games for players to lose. xQc attempted to justify gambling sites, but said that players have to spend more money than they win. Pokimane then asked xQc what his opinion on streaming gambling is now that he's openly admitted that he's addicted and received criticism from viewers. His response? "It hasn't changed."
xQc said that gambling is both fun and profitable for him, as it allows him to make content that his fans enjoy. The problem, he said, happens when streamers who are already rich spend massive amounts of cash in order to feel the rush of one win, it might give viewers the impression that they too can receive big prizes. Unfortunately, the wins don't outweigh the money players have to put in, and some online gamblers fall into massive debt. xQc told Pokimane that he's experienced big losses, too, just like anyone else.
xQc maintained that he enjoys gambling because it's fun and he can shoulder the losses when they come. "I lost 1.85 mil this month," he said. Pokimane suggested that xQc might not have as much fun gambling off-stream as he does on-stream, but xQc said that simply wasn't the case. He's out almost $2 million because, as he admitted, he's addicted to online gambling games. The bigger debate between Pokimane and xQc centered on the morality of streamers taking gambling sponsorships when they know that advertising gambling could turn some viewers to addiction. xQc wavered on the issue, saying that although he's not taking sponsorships from gambling sites at the moment, it's only because he's on a "downstreak." Ultimately, he said, people have to be responsible for themselves.
xQc isn't stopping anytime soon
It's unclear if xQc's multi-million dollar losses occurred throughout the month of April or in just one day of May, as the podcast was recorded on May 1 (hopefully the former, though). Pokimane tried to debate the ethics of gambling streams with xQc, saying that more traditional routes of gambling, like going to casinos or entering a real life poker tournament, are more acceptable because those ventures have more obstacles in the way of entry. To participate in real life gambling, players have to make an effort to show up to a physical location and gamble. Online, the simple click of a button could force players to lose more money than they have to spare.
Eventually, the two streamers concluded that gambling streams may have a negative influence over viewers, but so do other types of sponsored content, like streams supported by alcohol vape companies. xQc said that if gambling streams needed to be regulated, so did other types of streams that promoted bad behavior to viewers. Even though xQc has admitted he has an addiction, that hasn't stopped him from participating in high profile gambling streams. In fact, after recording the podcast with Pokimane and discussing the pitfalls of gambling, xQc was immediately involved in an in-person poker tournament hosted by Ludwig and streamed live.