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% |
Kick and Stake have built the most effective crypto casino marketing ecosystem ever created. Millions of viewers watch high-stakes gambling daily on Kick — and Stake is their entry point. But Stake is not the only option. For players looking for comparable or better casino experiences — higher bonuses, no KYC, faster USDT withdrawals — Cocktailspins verified partners offer real alternatives.
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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.
Kick.com launched in 2023 as a direct response to Twitch's increasingly restrictive gambling content policies. Co-founded with backing from Stake Casino investors, Kick is structurally designed to accommodate gambling content — affiliate codes, casino integrations, and bonus segments are permitted where Twitch had started restricting them. By 2026, Kick has established itself as the dominant platform for high-stakes casino streaming, with TrainwrecksTV, Roshtein (cross-streaming), and dozens of emerging gambling creators.
| Factor | Detail | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Creator split | 95/5 (Kick) vs 50/50 (Twitch) | Kick more creator-friendly |
| Casino content | Fully permitted on Kick | Restricted on Twitch since 2022 |
| Top streamers | TrainwrecksTV, emerging creators | Growing ecosystem |
Kick offers creators a 95/5 revenue split (creators keep 95% of subscription revenue vs Twitch's 50/50 for most creators). Gambling content is fully permitted including affiliate promotion, bonus hunt content, and high-stakes display. Twitch moved to ban affiliate gambling streams in September 2022 and has incrementally restricted gambling content. The creator migration to Kick has been significant among gambling-focused streamers. For viewers, Kick quality is comparable to Twitch but audience size remains smaller outside gambling content.
Most Kick gambling streamers display casino promo codes during streams — typically in the stream title, panel description or periodically on screen. These codes give deposit bonuses or rakeback access at Stake, BC.Game and other casino partners. Promo code "cocktailspins" activates rakeback at Stake Casino — the same rakeback available to streamers on Kick. See our Promo Codes page for verified codes updated monthly.
USDT on the TRC20 network is the practical deposit method for this kind of play. Fees stay under a dollar, confirmation takes one to three minutes, and a hundred-dollar deposit is still worth a hundred dollars next week — which matters when you are tracking session results rather than crypto prices. See our TRC20 explainer and the step-by-step deposit guide.
A short list rather than a long one — these four are covered in depth, with the full set on our reviews page.
Responsible gambling controls at crypto casinos are self-service. Deposit and loss limits, session timers and self-exclusion are all available, and all of them require you to switch them on. Doing it before you play is a different decision from doing it after losing, which is the point. If gambling is causing financial or personal harm, BeGambleAware.org and GamCare offer free, confidential support. Operator-level protection ratings sit in a separate comparison.
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