Felix “xQc” Lengyel has opened up about his gambling addiction on Twitch. His addiction has seemingly chased him his entire life, in the streamer’s own words, and he now feels compelled to take unnecessary risks in every game he plays. On the bright side, xQc argues that he “can afford to be ill,” which is probably missing the point.
Gambling Addiction Follows the Streamer
xQc has been using his Just Chatting streams to bring his audiences’ attention to the Gambling Simulator. In a recent stream, he opened up about how he felt the urge to keep on playing and mentioned that he has been coping with gambling addiction. Even though he has been able to put his Gambling Simulator’s obsession behind him more or less, the streamer said that he is habitually compelled to take risks in games where risks are not necessary or often too extreme.
“Every game I play all do is a gamble,” the streamer assured in a level voice. He then said that playing games such as GTA led him to more gambling and that he intentionally sought out gambling-like features in video games. Some fans were quick to urge him not to squander his money, but he assured them that he was one of the people who were “lucky” to be “ill.”
His fascination with Gambling Simulator has made some people wonder whether xQc isn’t silently endorsing gambling. Mizkif, a fellow streamer, recently revealed that streamers may be offered up to $10 million for as little as 15 hours of work monthly to promote gambling brands. Meanwhile, Trainwreck fan shared with Pokimane that they had lost $60,000 because of watching the streamer’s gambling sessions.
xQc urged others who are not as fortunate as he is to avoid gambling. However, a problem remains. Many streamers who are having a love-hate relationship with gambling are increasingly speaking about gambling. Fans have been split with some arguing that whether a person’s decision to gamble is their choice, but others have been concerned with the courtship between popular streamers and gambling companies.
Gambling Addiction Awareness Reversed
Offering $10 million for only 15 hours of work has put in focus how much gambling companies actually make. Talk about “being fortunate to afford to gamble” is quite the whole argument, as there are millionaires and billionaires out there who suffer from gambling addiction and they don’t find it fun when casinos take advantage of their weakness.
Arguing that you can afford to be excessive is one thing – broadcasting and promoting the associated activity means that you are responsible for people, at least to some extent. And yet, there is a good argument for why streamers are open to gambling partnerships. Few people would turn down seven figures for 30 minutes of work a day.
But isn’t telling your audiences you are an addict and saying you can afford it just the opposite of being a good example? xQc talking about gambling addiction openly, though, also highlights the issue and brings awareness that this is a real problem.