Stake connection · 100M users · Top gambling streamers · 95/5 split · What it means for crypto casino players
Kick launched December 2022 — days after Twitch banned all unregulated casino streaming. The timing was not coincidental. Kick was co-founded by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani — the founders of Stake.com — alongside Trainwreckstv, the biggest gambling streamer on the internet. Overnight, Twitch's gambling category lost 97% of its viewers. Kick was ready to absorb them all.
The platform's pitch was simple: 95% of subscription revenue goes to creators, versus Twitch's standard 50/50. More permissive content policies. No arbitrary bans. And a financial runway backed by nearly $1 billion from Stake. By April 2026, Kick announced 100 million total users — three years from launch.
"We have invested nearly $1 billion into Kick. I'm proud of what we've built, but reaching 100 million users is ultimately a vanity achievement — we are not yet where we need to be."
Kick is not technically owned by Stake — it is a separate company. But the relationship is deeply intertwined. Every top gambling streamer on Kick in 2026 plays on Stake. Stream Hatchet data from January 2026 shows 60% of all gambling streaming titles on Kick mention Stake specifically — dwarfing every other casino combined.
In March 2025, Kick removed the Slots & Casino category from its Partner Program hourly payout — ending direct platform pay for casino content. Critics, including Trainwreckstv himself, argued this favours Stake because Stake's founders control both the platform and the primary casino. A Bloomberg Businessweek investigation found that celebrity streamers on Stake hit jackpots 4x more often than average players on Stake-developed games — with win rates normalising on third-party slots. Stake denied the findings.
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total Users | 100M+ | As of April 10, 2026 |
| Revenue Split | 95/5 | Streamers keep 95% of subs |
| Monthly Hours Watched | 400M+ | 9 consecutive months (Feb 2026) |
| Gambling Category | Top 3 | Down 17% YoY but still dominant |
| Stake Mention Share | 60% | Of all gambling stream titles |
| Stake Investment | ~$1B | By Craven & Tehrani combined |
| Content Categories | 5,828 | Record diversity April 2026 |
| Gaming Market Share | 11% | vs Twitch 54%, YouTube 24% |
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In March 2026, Trainwreckstv appeared on a fellow streamer's channel and threatened a mass exodus from Stake — calling Ed Craven "a shark" and accusing the platform of lowballing streamers and allowing big names to gamble with fake balances to create unrealistic win impressions. He said "it might be time for a revolution" and claimed he could organise the biggest streamer exit in history. As of May 2026, he remains on Stake — but the tension is real.
Bloomberg Businessweek's investigation found celebrity streamers on Stake-developed games winning 4x more frequently than average players. Stake denied the findings. The FTC and international regulators are increasingly scrutinising casino streaming sponsorship deals.
Not technically — separate companies. But Stake co-founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani invested ~$1B into Kick. Every top gambling streamer plays on Stake. 60% of gambling stream titles mention Stake.
1. Trainwreckstv (15.6M hours Jan 2026) 2. ClassyBeef 3. Roshtein (12.6M hours) 4. Adin Ross (1.9M followers) 5. xQc ($100M contract) 6. Maherco (breakout 2025/26).
95/5 — streamers keep 95% of subscription revenue. vs Twitch 50/50. Per 100 subs: $475 on Kick vs $250 on Twitch.
October 2022 Twitch banned unregulated casino streaming. Gambling category lost 97% of viewers overnight. Kick launched immediately after, backed by Stake, built specifically for this content.