Changes to Twitch’s classification guidelines have led to gambling content being labelled more accurately according to the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom.

Content creators on Twitch must apply a content classification label (CCL) to inform viewers if the stream they are about to watch contains certain mature themes, such as gambling. 

In June 2023, changes were made to how content was classified. Prior to the decision, streamers were given the option to label their content as mature through the ‘Mature Content’ toggle on the creator dashboard.

Following the change, creators are still required to flag their content as mature, however, they now have the option to label their content under one of six labels, which are mature-rated games, sexual themes, drugs, intoxication or excessive tobacco use, violent and graphic depictions, significant profanity or vulgarity, and gambling.

Ofcom, the regulatory body for video-sharing platforms and online safety regimes in the UK, analysed the labelling of content before and after the change, finding that the accuracy of labelling “increased substantially” following the changes.

Looking more specifically at gambling, before the CCL change, only 65% of gambling streams were accurately labelled as mature. 

Gambling content on Twitch is classified as when a creator is participating in online or in-person gambling, poker or fantasy sports that involves the exchange of real money. 

After June 2023, there was a “sharp jump” in the accuracy of gambling stream labelling in the 30 days after the CCL change.

Ofcom found that gambling, alongside drugs or intoxication and violent and graphic content, made up no more than 8% of total CCL occurrences both pre and post-June 2023. In both periods the playing of mature-rated games made up over two-thirds of CCL occurrences. 

In its 66-page report, Ofcom concluded: “We found that more specific content labels, coupled with penalties for inaccurate labelling, led content creators to positively change their behaviour in terms of how accurately they labelled content.

“The change resulted in users being provided with much clearer alerts for mature content. However, we did not see any significant impact on the amount of mature content users viewed following the change, nor did we see a significant change in the amount of mature content creators produced.”

In 2022, Twitch banned streamers from broadcasting footage from several unlicensed gambling websites, including Stake.com, Rollbit.com and Roobet.com.

Recently, it also introduced a new feature that allows viewers to block specific CCL categories when browsing streams, serving as a default for underage viewers.