Over the past 12 hours I've shared our petition online and it's received backlash by many defenders of Gambling who say:

"It's on the individual to not gamble"
"It's not my problem to worry about this"
"Advertisers can choose not to appear in the Slots section on Twitch"
"Some of the Twitch advertisers run ads at other gambling venues"

This is not the right ethical or economical stance to take as a society and here are a few reasons why.

Ethically:

• The unregulated (illegal in most USA states) online casinos that Twitch broadcasters promote do not require ANY ID verification to sign up on. This means a 12 year old can sign up, deposit cryptocurrency and begin gambling. This is completely unethical and has no controls unlike regulated casinos.
• These casinos have terrible self-exclusion protections. If you choose to self exclude, you can simply create a new account and they will let you back on. This makes it incredibly difficult to quit if you get addicted.
• Even if Twitch broadcasters claim they are not promoting these casinos directly, they are being paid millions of dollars a month from the casino. They do promote the casinos regardless of if they have a link to them or not. The casino's branding is blatantly obvious and viewers find their way to it, especially the vulnerable.
• 41% of Twitch viewers are in the 16-24 age category. Young viewers and especially ethnic and racial minorities are more likely to become addicted to gambling.
• Whether advertisers choose to not show their ads in the Slots section or not is irrelevant. Why? Because Twitch's algorithm promotes the top broadcasters consistently. One of the largest broadcasters "xQc" begins his livestream in the "Just Chatting" general section. Twitch routinely promotes his livestream to viewers all over the website, including the viewers who are watching your advertisements. Then xQc switches to the "Slots" section and gambles, promoting these unregulated casinos.
• As a company, if you are running advertisements on Twitch you are supporting Twitch and indirectly attaching your brand to these unregulated online casinos which disproportionately affect young viewers and racial minorities to become addicts. This leads to suicides and destroys families. It's reprehensible for us to allow this.

Economically:

• $5 Billion: The estimated annual costs of pathological and problem gamblers in the US.
• 90% of pathological gamblers gambled with their paychecks or family savings.
• Over 60% of pathological gamblers reported borrowing money from friends/relatives to avoid credit problems; while 20% borrowed money from loan sharks.
• 30% of pathological gamblers reported gambling debts ranging from $75,000 – $150,000
• Pathological gamblers are 98% more likely to have received emergency room treatment in the past year.
• 20% to 30% of pathological gamblers have declared bankruptcy, compared to 4.2% of low-risk and non-gamblers.
• The rate of divorce among pathological gamblers and problem gamblers is significantly higher (53.5% and 39.5%, respectively), than the rate among low-risk gamblers (29.8%) and non-gamblers (18.2%)
  (sources for above)

Conclusion:

• Twitch allowing the promotion of unregulated online casinos directly affects the most vulnerable in society.
• This is not just an "individual problem". This affects us all economically and just because it hasn't affected you or your company yet doesn't mean it will not long term.
• We need to be willing to speak the truth about gambling in general and how negatively it impacts the vulnerable but specifically focus on how Twitch allows the promotion of unregulated crypto casinos that are damaging the most vulnerable in society.
• I can't do this without your help. Please consider sharing this petition with anyone you know willing to sign it. As well as forwarding it to any of the companies on the list on the petition on social media or by email. Don't feel like this is an impossible task. The companies who advertise on Twitch care about their brand image and if enough of us care then they will be forced to care too. It is not impossible to make a change, even if we have many who stand against us.
  
  “One man who stopped lying could bring down a tyranny.”
  
  ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn