Both live-streaming platforms have been banned in Turkey by the country’s National Lottery Association over gambling issues.
The Turkish government has banned Twitch and Kick over gambling content concerns. A few days ago, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority(ICTA) issued a nationwide ban on Kick. The authority was under the impression that Kick would influence the youth of the country to play roulette and promote gambling.
After broadcasters on Kick pointed out similar content being streamed on the Twitch platform, the ICTA launched an investigation into the platform. Two days after the nationwide ban on Kick, the government also banned Twitch, and that access to the site would be cut off. The decision angered the Twitch community in Turkey, mainly because viewers and some content creators had strong feelings against gambling content for a long time.
Read More: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Update Will Bring New Modes and Free DLC
Turkey Banned Twitch and Kick Nationwide
In February 2024, Turkish journalist Ibrahim Haskoloğlu first reported the ICTA’s concerns over Kick’s operations within the country. According to the officials, Kick was not just a platform for streaming but a Trojan horse for international gambling companies to target the youth in Turkey. The ICTA launched the investigation on February 13, 2024, and properly inspected the platform’s associations and content.
On February 21, Haskoloğlu confirmed that the government of Turkey had issued a nationwide ban on Kick, shocking content creators and viewers across the country.
🔴#SONDAKİKA | Türkiye, Uluslararası Kumar şirketine ait olan Kick platformu Kick'e erişim engeli getirdi.
Konuştuğum Türk yetkililer, Kick'in Türkiye'ye girmesini Türk gençlerini rulete çekmek olduğunu belirtiyordu.
Bu haberi yaptığımda da bazı yayıncılar beni yalancılıkla… https://t.co/CjsVaiw4hY pic.twitter.com/kNNwcfrCNC
— ibrahim Haskoloğlu (@haskologlu) February 21, 2024After Kick was banned within the country, the viewers and content creators of the website raised an issue that the Amazon-owned platform Twitch also broadcasted similar content. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Turkey launched another investigation on Twitch after taking in the problems from the Kick community.
Two days after Kick got banned in the country, the ICTA issued a ban on Twitch and announced that access to the website would be closed within 24 hours. Journalist Ibrahim Haskoloğlu tweeted the information from BTK’s website, which stated that the General Directorate of National Lottery Administration decided to block Twitch in the country.
🔴#SONDAKİKA | BTK'nın sitesinde yer alan bilgiye göre, Milli Piyango İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü kararıyla Twitch'e erişim engeli getirildi.
Twitch, Türkiye'de yasak olmasına rağmen casino vb. kumar oyunlarının izlenimini herkese açık şekilde yayınlıyordu. pic.twitter.com/GUb3Iam9cs
— ibrahim Haskoloğlu (@haskologlu) February 23, 2024Read More: Mortal Kombat 1 Adds John Cena’s Peacemaker
ncG1vNJzZmifkaKys7XVZ5qopV%2BpxKrAwqFkmqaUYriqr8pmmZqmnpqxbrXNZquuqpuaxm671Z6pZp%2BRoq%2Bttc2gZJynnpiys7rSaA%3D%3D