The Reason Casino Streams Are So Addictive
Have you noticed lately a new genre emerging on Twitch? The gaming genre of streamers has expanded into casino games, and it is booming in popularity. If you haven’t watched them for yourself, there is a chance you’ve at least heard of them. A lot of Twitch streamers have moved on from Minecraft and Fortnite to give slots a go, and the audience is following them. This might seem like a surprise to an outsider looking in, but there are a lot of reasons why casino streams have taken off. The biggest being that people want to enjoy the thrill of seeing a big slot machine wins. We detail some of the most common reasons why casino streams are so popular below. Find out more and see if they seem like something you’d like to get involved with yourself.
They can be really exciting
The reason anyone gambles at all is that it is exciting. The risk doesn’t feel good when it doesn’t pay off, but it feels really good when it does. The big slot machine wins are clearly the biggest draw for audiences of streamers. They spin and spin in silence, building tension, but everyone gets to join in the thrill when the slot pays off. There is a lot of shouting and hugging occasionally, and the chat goes wild.
And the chat gets to feel like a part of the game. The nature of Twitch allows people to donate to streams, which the streamer can then use on the next spin, so it can feel like everyone won.
And yet, pretty chill
That’s not to say that everyone watching is there for the thrill of it. Comfort TV and entertainment is a very real thing, and when you are burned out from the day, not willing to really think enough to follow a plotline, something that takes less attention like a slot stream is very comforting. In between those loud moments of winning, the comfort stream watcher can kick back and listen to their favorite streamer chat while they play and just watch the icons spin by.
It’s the same logic as the reason gaming streams became popular in the first place: you can enjoy the thrilling moments, sure, like slaying a dragon. But there is also a peaceful entertainment to watching a block-shaped avatar build a home to avoid the block-shaped zombies at night. As proven by Minecraft, which is the most popular game in gaming streaming.
Living vicariously
It seems like no coincidence that gambling streams have gained popularity in the last few years. eSports as a concept has also really taken off, with tournaments attended and streamed by fans all around the world. Perhaps the natural succession to watching games on stream, and then watching eSport athletes on stream was to watch gambling on stream. Much like that experience, the fans are living vicariously through an influencer streaming their gambling escapades, which is pretty much the original point of an influencer: to live vicariously through them.
eSports fans have the same instincts as real world sports fans, in that they aspire to share in the victory of the athlete. And victory is definitely something that can be shared when watching slots. The tension builds of empty spin after empty spin until finally there is a big win, and just like the Super Bowl or a critical kill in a battle royale game, the victory is shared with the audience.
There is a particular popularity in poker players
There is more, however, to casino games than just the slots. There are a lot of popular table games which both streamers and players enjoy regularly. These table games include blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and many original combinations and spin offs like Wheel of Fortune type games. There is a lot to love in casino streaming beyond the slots.
In particular, there is a large and feverish fanbase centered around poker. There are poker tournaments that are followed like NFL tournaments, making stars out of its followers along the way. A lot of these stars then naturally make a full time career of poker, supplementing the time between tournaments and games with content, often streaming. Sometimes they are simply showing off their life, sometimes they are allowing the audience to see their perspective on their latest poker games, and sometimes they’re handing out friendly advice.
The added incentive to online poker streams is that poker is a game of skill. It takes a lot of math and tactics, plus an ability to read people. All of this can be expressed in streams where the entertainment isn’t just watching the game play out and watching closely for all of the tiny expressions that make for the equivalent of a big win on a slot, but streamers can make entertainment in explaining tactics and theories to win to their audience.
It’s convenient
No one can deny part of the appeal is the ease of it. The big argument right now is that of cinemas closing due to a lack of patronage, whereas streaming services, YouTube, and live streaming are all going up. There is something to be said for following your favourite creators on Twitch, who bring their personality with them on a stream that would, from some TV producer’s perspective, seem really dull.
You don’t need to travel, you don’t need to socialise, you don’t even need to dress well if you don’t fancy it. You simply need your Twitch account ready and to tap into your favourite creators to enjoy a thrill seeking ride through slot spinning.
Getting to the physical casino isn’t the best option
If you’re here in the UK, getting to experience the bright lights of Las Vegas is likely to be a once in a lifetime event. Instead, heading to the arcades of Blackpool doesn’t quite give the same casino experience, but it takes travel fare, getting out of your home, getting dressed, and having enough social battery to make a night of it.
Whereas, a friendly streamer is just a lift of the laptop screen away. Audiences can enjoy the feeling of being at the casinos of Vegas without spending a penny or moving a muscle.
