For the next week, if you want to watch the Hustler Casino Live (HCL) livestream, you will not find it on YouTube.
On Monday, the popular poker livestreaming show announced on X that it is moving to Twitch, hopefully temporarily.
According to the social media post, YouTube suspended Hustler Casino Live for a week for an unnamed violation.
HCL contends it did nothing wrong and “can’t get in touch with anyone.”
HCL’s streams will likely take a big hit while away from YouTube.
Its YouTube channel has over 361,000 subscribers and over 1,000 videos, while its empty Twitch channel has just 3,000 followers.
That follower number is sure to grow as fans make their way over to Twitch, but at least in the short term, HCL is unlikely to hit YouTube levels.
Its livestreams often reach five-figure viewership.
Key Highlights
- YouTube has suspended Hustler Casino Live for a week for unknown reasons
- The livestream will run on Twitch until the issue is resolved
- HCL co-owner Ryan Feldman said he hasn’t been able to talk to anyone at YouTube
Searching for Answers
We’re afraid it’s gonna trigger the algorithm with all our old videos.
– Ryan Feldman, Hustler Casino Live Co-owner
Co-owner of Hustler Casino Live Ryan Feldman told PokerNews that the temporary ban from YouTube “has to do with advertisers they don’t like,” but other than that, he does not know what the problem is.
He expressed added concern that there could be future ramifications down the line, even if and when HCL can start streaming again on YouTube.
“We’re afraid it’s gonna trigger the algorithm with all our old videos,” implying that some videos could either get taken down or not given the visibility to which Feldman’s team is accustomed.
As the social media post indicated, Feldman said that a significant part of the frustration over the current situation is that he is unable to get answers from YouTube.
He lamented that it’s not that nobody knows what’s going on, it’s that “You can’t talk to humans.”
YouTube Ads Must Follow the Rules
Gambling advertisements are permitted on YouTube, provided they “abide by local gambling laws and industry standards” and the advertiser has received Google Ads certification.
Google, the parent company of YouTube, has a well-defined ad policy.
The policy lays out three main categories of advertising that are or could be problematic if specific rules aren’t followed.
“Prohibited content” is content that cannot be advertised on the Google network, period.
This category includes ads for counterfeit goods, dangerous products or services (such as recreational drugs, weapons, or tobacco products), enabling dishonest behavior (like hacking), and inappropriate content (racism, graphic violence, and more).
“Prohibited practices” include ads that intentionally misrepresent a product or service, advertisers that misuse customer data, and advertisers that try to “trick or circumvent our ad review processes.”
Then there is “restricted content and features,” which covers a wide range of topics.
In many cases, ads for these products and services are allowed as long as they avoid certain things that Google considers problematic and follow all applicable laws.
“Gambling and games” is one such genre of restricted content.
Gambling advertisements are permitted on YouTube, provided they “abide by local gambling laws and industry standards” and the advertiser has received Google Ads certification.
“Gambling ads must target approved countries, have a landing page that displays information about responsible gambling, and never target minors,” Google’s rules state.
Other restricted content areas include sexual content, alcohol, copyrights, healthcare and medicine, political content, and financial services.
Big Bucks, Big Characters
Hustler Casino Live has become arguably the most popular poker cash game livestream on the internet.
It features a daily lineup of high stakes players who are not shy to mix it up and risk hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single hand.
While some of the most famous poker players in the world do appear on HCL, the show isn’t your usual competition among “household names.”
It caters to the devoted poker fan, putting together lineups of players often not known by casual viewers but who have become names – and often characters – in the poker community.
In May 2023, Hustler Casino Live featured the largest “televised” poker pot in history when Tom Dwan scooped a $3.1 million pot from Wesley Fei.
Sources
x.com/HCLPokerShow/status/1835727729184092611
www.pokernews.com/news/2024/09/hustler-casino-live-youtube-channel-suspended-46958.htm
support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6008942
