That’s what Trainwreckstv claims he earned from a single sponsorship deal. Or picture signing a streaming contract worth $100 million for two years, that’s what happened to xQc, a former pro gamer turned casino streamer.
These aren’t athletes or movie stars. Instead, they’re people who broadcast themselves gambling online, and they’ve built an industry that rivals professional sports in earnings.
Casino streaming is exactly what it sounds like: entertainers sit in front of cameras and play online casino games, mostly slots, while thousands of viewers watch. Some sessions run for 24 hours straight. Single bets can exceed $1,000. Wins sometimes hit tens of millions of dollars. It’s part reality TV, part gambling advertisement, and part something entirely new.
The numbers tell the story. The online gambling market reached $95 billion in 2024 and could hit $153 billion by 2030. That growth creates enormous budgets for marketing, and casino streamers have become the industry’s most effective promoters.
But who are these people pulling down eight-figure deals? How do they actually make money, and why does their work spark so much controversy? That’s what we’re here to explain.
The Biggest Names in Casino Streaming
The casino streaming world has a clear hierarchy. A handful of personalities dominate viewership, command the biggest deals, and shape how millions of people think about gambling.
Trainwreckstv stands at the top. Tyler Niknam started streaming in 2015, but his pivot to gambling in 2019 changed everything. His reported $360 million earnings over 16 months from Stake.com make him possibly the highest-paid content creator in history. He didn’t just take the money and run. He became a co-founder of Kick, the streaming platform that now hosts most gambling content. His marathon sessions often exceed 24 hours, with bets frequently topping $1,000 per spin. In July 2025, he won $37.5 million on a single slot spin.
Roshtein represents longevity. The Swedish streamer (real name Ishmael Swartz) has been at this since 2016. Longer than almost anyone else. Based in Malta, he pulls the highest viewership numbers on Kick with nearly 500,000 hours watched weekly. His theatrical style and massive wins ($24 million on one game, $18.75 million on another) have built him a devoted following. But he also faces persistent questions about whether his gameplay uses real money or promotional accounts. More on that later.
xQc brought gambling to the mainstream. Félix Lengyel built his reputation as a professional Overwatch player and variety streamer before signing what might be the largest streaming contract ever: $70-100 million over two years with Kick. His scale is staggering. He’s publicly revealed wagering $2.95 billion on Stake across over a million bets. His followers using his referral codes have gambled away $119 million.
Adin Ross added celebrity glamour. Banned from Twitch in 2023, he became Kick’s flagship signing. His Stake sponsorship reportedly paid $1 million weekly, and his 2025 switch to Rainbet was valued at $100 million. He’s collaborated with Drake, hosted Donald Trump on stream, and lost over $40 million of his own money gambling. His young audience and volatile personality make him one of the space’s most controversial figures.
Xposed offers a different model. Cody Burnett streams as a family man who discusses his personal life alongside his gameplay. His relatable approach and consistent 10:30 PM EST schedule have built him 428,000 Kick followers. Wins like $864,504 on Juicy Fruits show he’s playing at serious stakes, but his willingness to discuss losses alongside wins gives him credibility some larger streamers lack.
ClassyBeef pioneered the team approach. Six streamers rotating to maintain near-continuous coverage. They’ve logged over 13,500 streaming hours across five years, proving that consistency can compete with individual star power.
Here’s how the top streamers compare:
| Streamer | Platform | Followers | Notable Deal/Earnings | Specialty |
| Trainwreckstv | Kick | 1M+ | $360M (16 months) | High-stakes slots, marathon streams |
| Roshtein | Kick | 300K+ | Est. $30-100M net worth | Record wins, theatrical style |
| xQc | Kick | 12M+ (multi-platform) | $70-100M Kick deal | Variety content, mainstream appeal |
| Adin Ross | Kick | 1M+ | $100M Rainbet deal | Celebrity collabs, young audience |
| Xposed | Kick | 428K | Undisclosed | Family-focused, relatable |
These streamers have become marketing machines, generating hundreds of millions in revenue for the casinos that sponsor them.
How Casino Streamers Actually Make Money
The earnings seem impossible until you understand the system. Casino streamers don’t make money like typical content creators. They’ve got four separate revenue streams, and the biggest one isn’t what you’d expect.
Casino sponsorship deals dwarf everything else. When Trainwreckstv revealed his $360 million from Stake, he explained the payments started at $1 million monthly and scaled to roughly $22.5 million per month at peak. That’s payment for playing, and for bringing viewers to the casino. Top-tier streamers can earn $1 million or more monthly from sponsorships alone. Mid-tier streamers might get $10,000-$100,000 monthly.
Platform exclusivity contracts add another layer. Kick pays streamers to broadcast exclusively on their platform rather than Twitch or YouTube. xQc’s reported $70-100 million deal works like an athlete signing with a team. He gets paid regardless of performance. Adin Ross’s $100 million Rainbet contract follows the same logic.
Affiliate commissions generate ongoing income. When viewers sign up using a streamer’s code and gamble, the streamer earns a percentage. The numbers get wild fast. xQc’s followers have wagered $119 million using his referral codes. Even if he earns just 5% commission on losses, that’s millions in affiliate revenue. Top affiliates reportedly earn $10,000-$30,000 monthly from this alone, with elite performers hitting seven figures.
Subscriptions and donations round things out. This is standard streaming income. Viewers paying $5-$25 monthly for perks or sending one-time tips. For gambling streamers, it’s almost an afterthought compared to their other revenue.
Here’s how it stacks up:
Top streamer revenue sources (largest to smallest):
- Casino sponsorship deals ($1M+ monthly for top streamers)
- Platform exclusivity contracts ($50-100M multi-year deals)
- Affiliate commissions ($10K-$1M+ monthly depending on referrals)
- Subscriptions and donations (standard streaming income, often under $100K monthly)
The system has a built-in conflict of interest. Kick was launched by Stake.com co-founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani. So the casino that sponsors streamers also owns the platform that pays them to stream. It’s a closed loop designed to turn viewers into customers, and it’s generating billions in revenue.
Why Streamers Moved from Twitch to Kick
The mass exodus happened almost overnight. In October 2022, Twitch dominated streaming, including gambling content. By early 2023, the gambling streamers were gone.
What changed? Twitch banned unlicensed gambling sites in September 2022, specifically targeting Stake.com, Rollbit, Duelbits, and Roobet. The ban came after the “Sliker scandal”, streamer Abraham Mohammed admitted scamming followers out of $200,000-$300,000 to fund his gambling addiction. Prominent streamers including Pokimane and Mizkif threatened boycotts unless Twitch acted.
The impact was immediate. Gambling viewership on Twitch dropped 75-97% almost overnight.
But the story didn’t end there. Just two months after Twitch’s ban, Kick launched in December 2022, created by the same people who own Stake.com. The platform offered streamers something Twitch couldn’t match: a 95/5 revenue split (compared to Twitch’s 50/50) and complete freedom to stream gambling content.
Streamers followed the money:
The platform shift at a glance:
- Before (2022): Twitch dominated, then banned unlicensed gambling sites
- Catalyst: Sliker scandal exposed gambling addiction’s real cost to viewers
- Result: Gambling viewership crashed 75%+ on Twitch
- After (2023): Kick emerged, funded by Stake.com, offering better splits and no gambling restrictions
- Today: Kick is the gambling streaming hub
The controversy is obvious. A casino owns the platform, pays the streamers, and profits when viewers become customers. It’s marketing disguised as entertainment, and it’s working.
The Controversies You Should Know About
The money is real. So are the questions about what viewers are actually watching.
Fake Money Accusations
The biggest unresolved controversy: do top streamers gamble with their own money or play with promotional accounts provided by sponsors? In 2019, a stream glitch appeared to show Roshtein’s “real money” balance matching a demo account balance, something normal casino software wouldn’t produce. More recently, Trainwreckstv publicly accused Roshtein of using fake balances after his $24 million win initially didn’t appear on global leaderboards.
The accusations remain unproven, but they matter. If streamers aren’t risking real money, the entire premise changes.
Addiction and Harm Concerns
Research shows gambling streams don’t satisfy gambling urges. Instead, they intensify cravings. Viewers who watch hoping to scratch their itch report increased real-money gambling afterwards. Even more concerning: 36-47% of minors aged 11-18 have been exposed to gambling streams.
xQc himself has admitted being “moderately addicted” despite earning over $100 million. If someone that wealthy struggles, what about viewers with far less?
Legal and Regulatory Issues
The law is catching up. An October 2024 class action lawsuit names Drake, Adin Ross, and Stake for allegedly promoting illegal gambling. Germany banned all gambling advertising via streamers in July 2024, even for licensed operators.
The bottom line:
- The entertainment is genuine. These streamers are compelling to watch
- The money flows from casinos profiting when viewers gamble
- Research shows harm, especially to young and vulnerable viewers
- Approach this content knowing what it is: marketing that looks like entertainment
