Social media platform Twitter/X recently banned paid partnerships involving creators. The move could impact poker players and other gambling content creators generating income on the site.
The company defines paid partnerships as the “involvement of a third-party brand providing compensation or incentives to a user, such as an influencer or content creator, to promote their product or service.”
Affiliate Links And Bonus Codes Banned
The ban doesn’t include advertising, but users will no longer be allowed to promote or endorse products for commercial purposes. Some of those include:
- The products or services are gifted by or on behalf of a brand.
- A creator receives compensation for promoting products or services, either through monetary payments or in-kind contributions.
- Products or services generate a commission for the creator from sales through affiliate links or discount codes.
- The user has a commercial agreement involving the product or services, such as a role as a brand ambassador.
In essence, users can’t post anything they’d profit from. However, the policy doesn’t ban gambling content itself. Poker players who serve as brand ambassadors may now face more obstacles. Promoting a player’s poker site using a bonus code, website link, or other methods appears to no longer be allowed.
Additionally, some vloggers posting videos of their content or promoting events may face Twitter/X discipline if any of those videos include brand endorsements or commercials.
New Rules Follow Similar YouTube Policies
Under the new rules, a creator isn’t allowed to label a post as advertising and must focus more on organic content without a commercial push. The policy shift could have a major effect on sports betting shills on the platform.
The new rules clearly prohibit “gambling products and services (including lotteries, social casinos, sports betting, and other gambling-related content).” Punishment can range from simply having the post removed to account suspension, depending on the severity and user history of policy violations.
Poker creators now face similar restrictions on YouTube. The platform prohibits content that directs viewers to online gambling sites or applications not certified by Google. As a result of the policy, vlogger Brad Owen had one of his channels suspended in October and Daniel Negreanu’s WSOP Online streams saw significant drops in viewership numbers.
In December, Card Player spoke with numerous poker players and gambling content creators about how that policy affected the industry.
