The Allure And The Antics Of Kick Casino Streamers

“I gotta get a f****** 10, bro,” Kick streamer Adin Ross says as he plays a round of high-stakes blackjack. The dealer busts, leading to an $877,550 payday for Ross. “I’m going to take this and get the f*** out, bro.”

The emergence of Kick, a newer rival to the well-known streaming platform Twitch, is a testament to the power of creators and their communities. Trainwreckstv, a well-known creator, along with some financial backers, took the initiative to offer a lucrative 95-5 profit share option. This was meant to empower the streaming community. It was inspired by Twitch’s decision to crack down on gambling streamers and (in some creators’ opinions) unfairly compensate streamers.

Since Kick’s inception, it has become known for its catalogue of casino and slot streamers. They also have a rep for pumping crypto casinos like Stake. With thousands of people watching a single stream, Casino Reports wanted to learn more about the biggest draws on the platform, how they convince people to watch their multi-hour shows, and how they promote crypto casinos.

Explaining the ‘why’

In an article for the March 2023 edition of Entertainment Computing titled “Beyond the Game: Understanding Why People Enjoy Viewing Twitch,” researchers Abbie Speed, Alycia Burnett, and Tom Robinson II identified four different groups of people who view online streamers: “Try Before You Buy,” “Antisocial Viewers,” “Loyal Lurkers,” and “Social Viewers.” 

In the most straightforward explanation, the “Try Before You Buy” people watch streamers because they want to see what a product or service looks like before they buy it themselves.

The “Antisocial Viewer” watches to try and get involved in a community with similar interests.

The “Lucky Lurkers” are people just looking for something to watch and stumble across a stream that meets their fancy.

“Social Viewers” join in on the conversations in the chat, which is why online streaming platforms have created a genre specifically for “Just Chatting.”

The curious case of Adin Ross

Ross is an attention-grabbing name for internet pop culture enthusiasts, especially after he “accidentally” got Andrew Tate arrested. His “Just Chatting” streams on Kick are widely viewed, as the audience never knows what will happen. If he’s not ratting out Tate, Ross is often making X-rated confessions. Recently, Ross faced backlash after “popping off in a homophobic rant against a critical viewer during a controversial broadcast,” as Virginia Glaze of Dexerto wrote. 

Nevertheless, Ross’ antics over the years, not to mention his viral ban from Twitch, have helped him develop into a star on Kick. With stardom comes the potential for numerous sponsorships. While Ross was still at Twitch, he signed a deal with decentralized casino Stake. The deal reportedly paid him roughly $900,000 weekly in Ethereum cryptocurrency to gamble. That partnership has been carried over to Kick, where Ross shares his Stake referral code with his audience. 

Ross’ viewers tune into his casino streams to see what he will play. Some of his biggest wins have been on slots, but he does like to play high-stakes card games.

Part of the allure for the viewing audience is “loss porn.” With casinos having a built-in edge on every game Ross plays, he has gone on some bad runs — such as the time he lost $15 million in one night.  

Although many viewers will watch streams to see what’s up and become a part of the chat, there is a subset of viewers that tune in to see how some creators will react when losing money. The “loss porn” trend was popularized on Reddit forums like r/wallstreetbets during the GameStop hype of late 2020 and early 2021 but has since gained traction in other forms of media.

The lore behind bossmanjack

One streamer who has created a lot of memes for people who partake in the enjoyment of “loss porn” is bossmanjack. 

Bossmanjack has described himself as a degenerate. His games of choice are roulette and slots. When he streams, he often loses, and when bossmanjack loses, he will sometimes destroy the environment around him. On streams in the past, he has broken the door to his room, punched holes in the wall, and destroyed his computer setup.

A Redditor from r/bossmanjack insisted he watches the streamer because he wants to remind himself what not to do when gambling. “I watch him because I’m an ex-gambling addict, and it scratches my itch while also showing me why I shouldn’t be gambling.”

The overall theory from bossmanjack’s fans is that most of his viewers are “rats.” They will stay for the meltdowns and leave afterward. Some fans have even gone as far as to send fake donations to the streamer in hopes of invoking a “memeable” reaction when he figures out the con. Others will donate money to see him flip out after he loses it all.

People have speculated about whether bossmanjack’s online persona is an act. Either way, bossmanjack represents one of the darker sides of casino streaming. 

There are good casino streamers

Not every casino streamer on Kick can be described as a degenerate. The average streamer keeps things on the down-low and provides their viewers with a chance to experience casino gambling without betting any money. These streamers will encourage viewers to join their Discord servers. In the Discord chats, fans can suggest to the streamers what games they can play on their next live stream — thereby feeling like they’re a part of the action. 

Of course, most rational experts will argue that even the most decent streamers are not saints. They are still showcasing decentralized — or what some regulated operators would call illegal — casinos, constantly shilling referral codes, and advertising glitz and glamour.

The fact of the matter is that Kick was always meant to be a little edgy and push the moral and ethical boundaries of what is viewed as acceptable. In a recent conversation with Ross, Trainwreckstv even said so, but there are people who will take it too far, and it could lead to Kick’s downfall. 

The moderation team at Kick is trying to right the ship and gain some credibility in the eyes of the general public. They can often be seen trying to promote the more PG side of their streamer catalogue. The ultimate goal, in the eyes of Trainwreckstv, is to tone down on the debauchery and have fewer controversies.

But for now, Adin Ross remains one of the faces of Kick casino streaming, and his brand does not seem to involving shying away from controversies or debauchery.