Is Trainwreck’s new platform Kick just another gambling promotion?

Trainwreck had been teasing a new streaming platform that could rival Twitch for a while. And yesterday, he finally unveiled his master plan: Kick. 

But as a non-owner advisor and non-exclusive broadcaster to the platform, Train’s involvement in the startup quickly raised some questions about who exactly is in charge—and it didn’t take much internet sleuthing to expose the charade.

With subscription revenue splits at 95 percent, many people questioned how the website could possibly be profitable, and it appears as though the platform might just be a way for the online casino Stake to try to reel in more customers now that it is banned on Twitch.

Investigative YouTuber Coffeezilla posted a series of tweets today claiming that Stake is the owner of Kick, including screengrabs from websites like Linkedin where the streaming platform disclosed that information.

Coffeezilla also pointed out that the subreddit for Kick was created by the same account, “CalebStake,” that created Stake’s subreddit. Additionally, Stake has already begun doing promotional material involving the platform.

Trainwreck, who has repeatedly endorsed Stake, did not disclose Stake’s involvement in his TwitLonger detailing his connection to Kick and anger toward Twitch. And according to fellow streamer MoistCr1TiKaL, that’s an ethical move by Train or Kick.

“It does seem like there’s a Stake connection there, and if there is, I think that needs to be publicly disclosed,” he said.

It’s still unclear how sustainable Kick will be, but it appears that the platform’s business model will be nothing like that of Twitch or YouTube because the money it brings in will likely be through marketing value that it provides to Stake.

In essence, the platform has come about because Stake gambling games can no longer be streamed on Twitch due to a policy change on the platform that took effect in October. Prior to the rule change, creators including Train, xQc, and Adin Ross took lucrative sponsorship deals to play slots on Stake for their audience.

Now that the public has quickly caught on to what exactly is going on, the conversation has moved from “how is this platform going to exist” toward “is it ethical for this platform to exist?” As one of the biggest names in the industry, YouTube star Ludwig gave his take on what Train is trying to do by leveraging gambling money to get a platform to rival Twitch.

“The most charitable interpretation is he’s trying to create a great environment for small/midsized creators to thrive,” he said. “The least charitable is he’s trying to do sponsored gambling while not streaming in a dead website and also having good PR.”