GMHikaru Nakamura, the renowned Chess Grandmaster and popular streaming personality has recently addressed critics of Kick, the livestreaming platform he is associated with. The discussions arose due to the platform's connection with the crypto gambling website, Stake.com, leading to negative perceptions.
During one of his recent livestreams, GMHikaru referred to Twitch political commentator Hasan “HasanAbi,” who has been openly expressing his concerns about Kick.
GMHikaru clarified that his own livestreams on Kick have no association with gambling, making the constant criticisms “annoying.”
xQc, who recently made headlines with his lucrative non-exclusive two-year contract worth $100m with Kick, also directed similar criticism toward Twitch streamers Hasan and Pokimane in June.
Explaining the situation, GMHikaru emphasized that the negativity surrounding Kick stems from people's misunderstanding of its operations. He highlighted that he does not engage in gambling on his Kick channel and maintains the same content as he did on Twitch.
Referring to other streamers who have been critical of Kick, GMHikaru specifically called out HasanAbi for suggesting that the platform aims to promote gambling-related content to its audience.
He expressed frustration at these claims and pointed out that he knows the terms of his contract with Kick, confirming that it does not involve gambling.
GMHikaru's response sheds light on the ongoing discussions surrounding Kick and its connection with gambling. At the same time, at the beginning of July Kick CEO Eddie Craven introduced a new update to reduce the exposure of gambling streams on the platform, allowing users to disable such content and implementing view count protection.
The move followed criticism over gambling content and aimed to maintain a fair landscape for creators on Kick, which offers higher payouts than competitors Twitch and YouTube.
Kick's growth has been fueled by prominent streamers like xQc, Amouranth, and Asmongold joining, drawn by its favorable revenue-sharing model offering creators to keep 95% of their subscription revenue and 100% of tips.
However, Kick experienced a quadrupled viewership in the gambling category, with over 15m hours watched in June 2023, signifying a 14% month-on-month rise.
Kick's strategic decision to welcome crypto-first operators and the introduction of a feature allowing users to block gambling streams have contributed to its financial success, generating an impressive revenue of $5m through subscriptions alone.
This makes Kick a serious contender for the top streaming platform spot in competition with Twitch and YouTube
Looking for your next crypto casino? Check out: Bitcasino or FortuneJack.