With the news of xQc joining Kick on one of the biggest deals ever recorded in streaming, many viewers want to give the new streaming site a shot. However, several are wondering what the connection is between Kick and Stake, an online gambling site and “Crypto Casino.”
Trainwreck was one of the first big-name streamers to start streaming on Kick after condemning Twitch for its 50-50 subscriber revenue split. But despite some promising features, people have been skeptical about the site, particularly its ownership and whether or not it’s a “sham.”
After seeing all the discussions about its platform and company, Kick and its personnel have addressed some of these concerns.
Is Kick.com a “sham”?
When Train first announced his decision to join Kick, former Twitch director of creator development Marcus “DJWheat” Graham tweeted Kick is a “sham,” noting a lack of investors mentioned on the site among other “red flags.”
DJWheat also added a follow-up stating that Kick seemed to center around gambling, which had been banned from Twitch.
Trainwreck’s content heavily revolved around gambling but he pivoted when Twitch announced that gambling was no longer allowed on the platform. This seemed to be one of the reasons behind his decision to stream on Kick.
Related: Kick bets on xQc in 2-year $100M deal
In an interview with the Washington Post, the streaming star admitted he was “a little irritated at their double standard of banning certain gambling sites they don’t make money from.”
In the same interview, Trainwreck admitted the crypto gambling website Stake plays a role in Kick. He explained Ed Craven, the owner of Stake, invested in Kick. Stake itself is not an investor, however, according to Kick.
Who owns Kick.com? Everything to know about Stake and Kick
Essentially, Kick is a registered legal entity, Kick Streaming Pty Ltd. This information came to light after releasing an official app on the iOS store, requiring Kick to reveal its true name and organization.
What’s more, further digging reveals it was registered in Australia as of November 2022, and its only shareholder is Easygo Entertainment Pty Ltd and its director, Brais Pena Sanchez, the chief sales operator of Easygo.
The plot thickens, however. Easygo was registered a few months prior. A third of it is owned by another company called Ashwood Holdings Pty Ltd., which is wholly owned by Ed Craven—the owner of Stake.
What this means, essentially, is that although Kick is not owned by Stake as an entity, there seem to be strong ties between them. So much so, in fact, that some believe the ownership argument is still there.
So, to answer the question, at face value, it would be inaccurate to say Stake owns Kick. There is, however, some evidence suggesting Craven, the owner of Stake, has an influential role in running Kick.
On a similar note, while Trainwreck has played a pivotal role in bringing the platform together and promoting it during and after its launch, he insists that he isn’t an owner in any capacity, only an advisor.
It’s important to note that Kick emailed The Washington Post and told them Stake as a company is not an owner or even an investor in the site. But this doesn’t necessarily mean Craven isn’t involved.
