YouTube Takes Down Online Poker Promoting Videos

Numerous streamers had their videos deleted from YouTube after a clampdown this weekend by the site, which apparently targeted online-poker videos including promotional elements supporting online poker websites.

Some of them are prominent poker streamers Jason Staples, Evan Jarvis and “ZerosPoker” streamer.

They reported that many of their videos have been deleted. Furthermore, more than a hundred videos each of them created are now gone from YouTube.

Staples posted on his Twiter account that many other video-content producers have had their videos deleted, too, such as Andre Neeme, Parker Talbot, Alec Torelli, Derek Gomez and others.

The videos that were deleted by the site are the ones that include active promotion of online-poker sites.

It is clearly stated as a part of the site’s Terms of Service that linking to an online gambling casino in the video description or in comments is forbidden.

YouTube has accused both Staples and Jarvis on violating their “Community Guidelines” with the “Sale of Illegal or Regulated Goods”, supposedly with their references to PokerStars. Staples was a member of PokerStars ambassadorial team before recently moving to Partypoker, while Jarvis often promoted PokerStars heavily.

It was noted by a gambling writer, Rob King, that the Canadian and US online-poker content producers are mostly targeted by the ban.

The ban will probably see many online poker sites rethinking their online marketing strategies to their dissatisfaction since signing and supporting online streamers comes at a lower cost than sponsoring high-profile tournament pros as was the practice in recent years.