Twitch streamer Trainwreck is known for his sponsored gambling streams. Recently, he has revealed the total amount of money he’s given away since 2005.
Gambling streams are currently one of Twitch’s hottest topics, with popular streamer xQc embroiled in yet another feud with his fans over his return to gambling.
Trainwreck, real name Tyler Niknam, revealed over the weekend that since starting his gambling career in 2005, he has donated $10 million (£7.95 million) to fans, charities, and other causes. He is known for his increasingly long, high-risk gambling streaks, which net him millions per day regardless of whether he wins or loses.
This is due to his contract with Stake, an online betting site currently embroiled in controversy for allegedly paying streamers, including xQc, so that they aren’t gambling with their own money in many cases.
Trainwreck’s donations have been known to break Twitch, with 27,000 people attempting to get a piece of the pie when he gave away $1 million (£0.79 million) last year. In addition, he has established his own $250,000 (£199,000) mental health fund to assist viewers.
Trainwreck has also donated life-changing sums of money to small-time Twitch streamers, including $120,000 in bitcoin to streamer Jake’n’Bake last year to help him buy his dream car.
Despite spending thousands upon thousands of dollars in each stream, Trainwreck is able to make his donations because he is hoping for another large payment and the resulting adrenaline rush. His regular streams emphasize that viewers should not gamble for themselves, with stories of how much money he’s lost over the years usually following his openness about his addiction.
He claimed to be $12 million (£9.5 million) in debt as of January, which is still a lot less than the $22 million (£17.5 million) he was in prior to this.
It’s debatable whether he’s still that low, given that he’s now making ‘far more’ than the $1 million a month deal he had with Stake this time last year.
Another streamer, Mizkif, said he was offered $35,000 per hour to gamble in now-deleted clips from a stream last year.
Since its inception, xQc has claimed that his referral code has generated $119 million (£94.5 million) in bets.