Is Kick a Gambling Site? Who Owns Kick, and How It Connects to Stake

Kick isn't a casino. You can't bet on Kick itself. But it was founded in 2022 by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, the same people behind the crypto casino Stake, and both sit under the same parent company, Easygo. Gambling streams are allowed on Kick, and some of the biggest names on the platform have been paid by Stake to gamble on camera. That's why I've called Kick a funnel to Stake.

Who owns Kick?

Kick launched in December 2022. Its parent company, Easygo, is the same group behind Stake. Bloomberg Businessweek reported in 2026 that Stake and Kick share a parent, a Melbourne headquarters, and some executives and staff. Craven has said Kick is kept "very much heavily isolated" from Stake.

Kick arrived right after Twitch banned streams of unlicensed slots and casino sites in October 2022, naming Stake, Roobet, Rollbit and Duelbits. The streamers who lost their casino deals on Twitch had somewhere new to go.

Does Kick allow gambling streams?

Yes. According to Kick's own community guidelines, gambling content is allowed if streamers follow local gambling laws, don't gamble with viewers' money, keep minors out of it, and disclose affiliate links. Sponsored gambling is only allowed for platforms licensed where the streamer is.

Kick has tightened some rules. Since February 2025, gambling streams are only allowed from casinos that verify users are 18+, and in March 2025 Kick stopped paying partners hourly for streaming in the Slots & Casino category. But gambling is still a core part of the platform.

Why I call Kick a funnel to Stake

Kick gives creators 95% of subscription revenue. Twitch keeps half. An academic quoted by The New York Times tied that generous split to the users Stake gains from gambling streamers. In my opinion, that's exactly it: Kick can afford to pay creators more because the viewers it builds are worth more to Stake than to Kick.

Then there are the streamer deals:

• xQc signed a two-year, non-exclusive Kick deal reported at $70 million, up to $100 million with incentives.
• Adin Ross joined Kick in 2023. Bloomberg's blockchain analysis found he received at least 26,000 ETH, about $78 million, from Stake between 2021 and 2025.
• Drake gambled on Stake streams on Kick for years, before calling Craven a "snake" and deleting his Kick account in August 2025.

Think about what that is. Imagine your favourite streamer took a cigarette sponsorship, and all they had to do was smoke a pack on stream every week. Nobody would accept that. Paying people to do an addictive thing in front of an audience of mostly young men is the same idea.

Are the wins on stream real?

In 2026, Bloomberg Businessweek analysed about 1,500 hours of Kick footage from 25 Stake players. On Easygo's own games, Drake hit a big win (1,000x the bet or more) about once every 2,500 spins, against an average of about once every 10,000. On other companies' games, his rate was average. Stake called the findings "categorically incorrect" and declined to share its own payout data.

Whatever you make of that, stream wins are entertainment, and the streamer often isn't gambling with their own money in the way you would be. Your account won't behave like theirs.

Is Kick banned anywhere?

Turkey's regulator blocked Kick in February 2024 over gambling. Access came back after Kick banned gambling streams for Turkish users. Kick also hides its Slots & Casino category in some countries, though it doesn't publish the full list.

If Kick streams are pulling you in

• Unfollow gambling streamers and mute the Slots & Casino category.
• Block the casinos they push. Self-exclude from Stake and any other site you've signed up for, and block gambling sites on every device.
• Read more about Stake: is Stake legit, and is it legal in Canada.

Block it everywhere: how to block gambling sites on your phone and computer, and how to block gambling payments at your bank.

If you're struggling right now

• Thinking about suicide (US and Canada): call or text 988, any time.
• USA: the National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).
• Canada: find support by province or territory. In Ontario, ConnexOntario is free and available 24/7. In Alberta, the AHS Addiction Helpline is 1-866-332-2322.
• Chess vs. Gambling: chessvsgambling.org is a free community that uses chess as a healthy replacement for gambling, with a Discord you can join.
• Anywhere: Gambling Therapy offers free online support in multiple languages.

This article reflects my own research and opinions. Pawn of God never uses affiliate links or casino promo codes. Kick's rules change often; this reflects public reporting and Kick's help centre as of October 31, 2026.