Apex Legends pro turned content creator Nikola “Nikolarn” Aniči has been banned on Twitch for streaming gambling content.
Nikolarn was banned from Twitch on Thanksgiving Day, ending his 10-year clean record on the streaming platform. This is Nikolarn’s first time getting in any kind of trouble on Twitch and he’s currently been suspended for seven hours. On X, Nikolarn shared his email from Twitch that outlined the ban, which stated he was streaming “prohibited gambling content.” This could mean Nikolarn was streaming content from prohibited gambling sites or sharing referral or affiliate links to them.
Nikolarn was issued a three-day ban for this offense, which he said he would take as an “extended weekend” break. The gaming streamer currently has over 568,000 followers on his banned Twitch account, where he usually is found playing Counter-Strike 2, Strinova, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, or Just Chatting.
Twitch notoriously cracked down on gambling in 2022 when its’ policies no longer allowed content creators to stream or share links to unlicensed sites. Skin gambling sites, which are popular for Counter-Strike, have also been prohibited.
Banned sites include the following, and many more.
This caused a huge rift in the streaming community, with some content creators like Imane “Pokimane” Anys agreeing with the decision due to the harm of marketing gambling to young viewers while others like self-proclaimed gambling addict Felix “xQc” Lengyel moved to sites like Kick to keep doing gambling content.
Nikolarn has not made any statements about leaving Twitch since his ban. So far, the former Apex Legends pro seems to be frustrated at his first ban but also looking forward to a three-day break from streaming, which he said he hasn’t done in quite a while.
Nikolarn does have a Kick account, however. He only has 2,400 followers on there and hasn’t been as active. He was last seen online two days ago. This could change now that he’s been banned from Twitch for three days but he has not made any announcements about Kick streams over the weekend so far.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.