Twitch, the videogame-streaming site that Amazon acquired for nearly $1 billion last year, is now broadcasting online poker players. Twitch reportedly draws in about 100 million users each month, a number that is expected to increase with an additional wave of viewers tuning in for the poker channels. As with most videos on Twitch, the poker games are interactive, with a chat function that allows viewers to post comments and ask players questions about the strategies taken during gameplay.
The Wall Street Journal reports that, “poker promises to bring Twitch more young, male users, a demographic coveted by advertisers.” Twitch began broadcasting poker gameplay last November, and has already seen some poker channels that have drawn in more than one million views.
“Twitch broadcasts have a video feed of a player narrating hand-by-hand the action in an online game, pitting players against one another from their computers. The broadcaster’s cards are visible to viewers, though a four-minute delay prevents online opponents from using the information,” WSJ explains.
Additionally, poker broadcasts provide Twitch with a supplemental stream of advertising revenue. Twitch broadcasters have the option of displaying ads alongside streams or offer ad-free subscriptions. Advertising and subscription revenue is split equally between the players and Twitch.
Online gambling is only legal in three U.S. states including Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. Twitch does not endorse illegal gameplay by any means. In fact, many poker players will go as far as traveling to designated areas where online gambling is legal to broadcast their videos.
Among the most prominent professional poker players on the site is Jason Somerville (pictured above) and Randy Lew who have already amassed as many as 52,000 and 4,800 followers, respectively.
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