The digital entertainment landscape just got more interesting as Kick, the streaming upstart backed by crypto-gambling powerhouse Stake.com, rolls out its most anticipated feature yet. This new feature allows creators to broadcast simultaneously on Kick, Twitch, and YouTube, a move that could reshape how streamers build audiences and monetize content. But to understand why this move matters, we need to rewind to the origin story of the platform’s deep-pocketed benefactor – a company that’s rewritten the rules of online gambling through cryptocurrency innovation.
Stake.com: From Bitcoin Dice to a Global Gambling Powerhouse
Stake.com’s journey began in 2017, but its roots stretch back even further. The company was founded by Australian entrepreneurs Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, who previously launched Primedice in 2013 — one of the earliest Bitcoin-based dice games. Primedice was revolutionary for its time, leveraging blockchain technology to offer provably fair gambling, a concept that ensured transparency and fairness in an industry often criticized for opacity.
Building on that foundation, Stake.com expanded into a full-fledged crypto casino, offering a wide range of games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and live dealer tables. Its appeal was global from day one, thanks to the borderless nature of cryptocurrency. Players could wager Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and other digital coins without the usual banking restrictions or currency conversions.
By 2022, Stake’s revenue had soared to approximately $2.6 billion, a testament to its rapid adoption and innovative approach. The company’s model combined high-quality gaming experiences with blockchain transparency, attracting millions of users worldwide. However, success brought challenges. In 2023, Stake suffered a $41 million hack, attributed to the notorious Lazarus Group, a North Korean cybercrime syndicate. This incident highlighted the risks inherent in crypto platforms but also underscored Stake’s resilience, as the company quickly bolstered its security measures.
Regulatory hurdles also surfaced. In 2025, the UK Gambling Commission forced Stake to withdraw from the UK market following complaints about advertisements featuring adult film stars, which regulators deemed inappropriate. Despite this setback, Stake continued to grow aggressively in other regions, leveraging acquisitions and technological innovation.
One of the most significant moves was Stake’s acquisition of Kindred Group in late 2024 for €2.5 billion. This deal brought renowned brands like Unibet, 32Red, and Bingo.com under Stake’s umbrella, expanding its reach into regulated European markets and diversifying its product portfolio. The acquisition also provided Stake with a robust technological infrastructure, which now supports Kick’s streaming platform.
Kick’s Cross-Platform Streaming: A Game-Changer for Content Creators
Kick launched just a few years ago but quickly carved out a niche by offering looser moderation, a more creator-friendly revenue split, and more permissive policies on gambling content than Twitch or YouTube Gaming. This attracted many popular gambling streamers who felt increasingly restricted by Twitch’s tightening rules.
However, a major concern for streamers hesitant to switch was the fear of losing their established audiences. Kick’s new cross-platform streaming feature addresses this head-on. With multistreaming, creators can broadcast simultaneously on Kick, Twitch, and YouTube, maintaining their existing followers while growing new ones on Kick.
The feature was teased in a clever video showing three glowing lines representing Twitch, YouTube, and Kick lighting up as a robotic voice announced, “Ready player one… Player two ready… Player three has entered the game.” The message was clear: Kick is now playing alongside the big leagues, not in isolation.
This move comes after Twitch ended its exclusivity rules for partners in 2023, which previously prevented contracted streamers from working with other platforms. Kick’s multistreaming feature leverages this shift, empowering creators to diversify their audience reach and revenue streams.
The Numbers Behind the Shift
Twitch still dominates the game streaming market, accounting for roughly 77% of total streaming hours globally. YouTube Gaming holds about 15%, with Kick rapidly growing its share. Since launching, Kick has attracted approximately 18 million monthly active users, a remarkable feat given its short lifespan.
Kick’s appeal lies in its creator-friendly policies. It offers a 95% revenue share to content creators, compared to Twitch’s 50-50 split. This difference has been a magnet for streamers seeking better income opportunities. Multistreaming further enhances this by allowing simultaneous monetization across platforms.
Early data from Kick’s pilot program indicates that streamers using multistreaming have seen follower growth rates increase by up to 40%, with average concurrent viewers rising by 25%. These numbers suggest that creators can leverage Kick’s growing user base without sacrificing their presence on established platforms.
Ethical Considerations and Policy Changes
Kick’s welcoming stance on gambling content has been a double-edged sword. While it attracted many gambling streamers displaced by Twitch’s 2022 crackdown on casino streams, it also raised ethical concerns about promoting potentially harmful gambling behaviors.
In response, Kick revised its Partner Program in March 2025, excluding casino and crypto slots streams from eligibility for hourly pay. Previously, some creators received fixed hourly payments regardless of viewer engagement, which critics argued incentivized prolonged gambling streams that could exacerbate gambling addiction.
The new policy ties earnings more closely to viewer subscriptions and ad revenue, aligning Kick’s incentives with responsible gambling principles. This shift reflects a growing awareness within the industry about balancing creator support with social responsibility.
Bijan Tehrani, Stake.com co-founder and Kick’s co-founder, has publicly criticized Twitch’s inconsistent enforcement of gambling content rules, describing the platform’s approach as “duplicitous” and unfair to independent streamers.
Technical Edge: How Kick Stands Out
Kick’s technology infrastructure benefits greatly from Stake.com’s gaming expertise. The platform boasts lower latency than Twitch, with a stream delay of approximately 1.2 seconds compared to Twitch’s 3-5 seconds. This real-time interaction is crucial for gambling streams where timing and viewer engagement are key.
Kick supports higher bitrate streams, allowing up to 8K HDR at 60 Mbps, whereas Twitch limits streams to 6 Mbps. This means Kick can deliver sharper visuals and smoother gameplay, enhancing viewer experience.
Integration with Stake’s casino platform is another unique feature. Streamers can enable interactive betting directly through chat commands, allowing viewers to place crypto bets in sync with the streamer’s gameplay – a feature Twitch prohibits due to regulatory concerns.
The Broader Creator Economy and Multistreaming Trends
Kick’s multistreaming launch aligns with a broader trend in the streaming ecosystem. According to a 2024 report by StreamElements, 41% of full-time streamers now broadcast on two or more platforms, up from just 12% in 2022. Tools like Restream.io, which facilitate simultaneous streaming, have seen user growth triple since Twitch relaxed exclusivity clauses.
Streamers cite diversification as a key motivator. Relying on a single platform exposes creators to policy changes, demonetization risks, and revenue volatility. Multistreaming spreads these risks and opens multiple revenue channels.
Popular streamer ItsSliker, who switched from Twitch to Kick in 2023, reported a 220% increase in earnings by combining subscriptions and donations across Kick, YouTube, and TikTok. This exemplifies how multistreaming can unlock new financial opportunities.
Market Position and Future Prospects
As of April 2025, Kick hosts around 550,000 active streamers, a fraction of Twitch’s 8 million but growing at an impressive 30% quarterly rate. The platform’s roadmap includes plans for VR streaming integration and AI-driven content highlights, aiming to enhance interactivity and viewer engagement.
Stake.com continues to expand Kick’s gaming catalog, recently adding exclusive titles from Relax Gaming, a move designed to deepen the platform’s appeal to gambling audiences.
The global game streaming market is projected to reach $39 billion by 2026, driven by increasing internet penetration, mobile device adoption, and the rise of eSports. Stake and Kick’s combined crypto-gaming and streaming model positions them uniquely to capitalize on this growth.
