Online live streamer Felix “xQc” Lengyel told thousands of fans on stream this week that he has gambled nearly $3 billion at cryptocurrency online casino Stake.com.
The controversial gambling-focused streamer then showed his Kick stream viewers he had $2,954,739,443.22 in total bets on his Stake.com account as proof.
However, many have since pushed back on the claims, suggesting that the streamer isn’t gambling with his own money, but with credit provided by Stake. xQc has a more than $100 million contract with Kick, which is owned by the cofounders of Stake.
Although he gambles on stream to tens of thousands of viewers for dozens of hours most weeks, xQc has previously often and vociferously told his fans not to gamble.
“Don’t gamble. Don’t be dumb. Don’t do that,” he said earlier in September while live on stream.
“Don’t put your money on any gambling devices or platforms… It’s dogshit. I promote it because I do it. But don’t do it.”
Streaming Career
xQc first gained attention on the internet playing the game Overwatch in its professional esports league. He was known as a controversial player with a hot temper, and eventually he was dismissed from the league in 2019.
However, his outspoken personality would prove a hit on streaming platform Twitch, where he amassed a large following and plenty of money. That soon turned him on to gambling, which became an increasing focus of his streams.
Eventually, Twitch banned him as part of its 2022 crackdown on gambling streams.
Kick, with its owners also the founders of Stake.com, obviously don’t mind gambling. It paid $100 million to have xQc exclusively join its platform in 2023. Stake.com is also the betting choice for megastar rapper Drake when he places his large sports bets.
The Gambling
In 2023, xQc told fans he had gambled $1.5 billion on Stake, although he did not show proof at that time.
The nearly $3 billion number he showed on stream this week would mean he gambled another $1.5 billion in just a year since then. He mostly plays slots, but also live casino games and sports betting.
The streamer’s huge betting history is made of more losing bets than profitable ones. The data showed he had 1,011,365 losses against 112,015 wins.
The Canadian is banned from all physical casinos in his home province of Quebec. That’s after he was placed on the excluded persons list because of the media attention on his frequent high stakes gambling. He has said he is appealing this ban in the courts.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
