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How Much Money do Twitch Streamers Make?

Published

6 years ago

April 24, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

If you had told someone back in the early 2000s that you were going to play games for a living, they would have probably laughed in your face. Today, things have changed greatly in this regard as there are many different ways in which one can play video games and make serious money from doing it.

Professional e-Sports players are just some of the people who make good money from playing games, but a whole new breed of gamers has also emerged in recent years, and they often make even more money than e-Sports players.

Video game streaming has picked up massive pace recently, with hundreds of streamers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming making this their primary occupation. The top 10 biggest Twitch streamers now make tens of thousands of dollars per month according to Ken Johnson from Evolutionofsports.com and this is just one of the ways they monetize their online presence.

We tried to find out just how Twitch streamers make their money, how much they can possibly make and whether or not this is a sustainable way to make a living in 2020.

How Do They Make Money?

If you are a novice to the concept of streaming, you may be wondering how exactly someone who is streaming video games would be making money. After all, they are just sitting there and playing a video game, so why exactly would anyone pay them to do this.

The fact is that there are two major income streams for streamers. A part of their income comes from satisfied customers who enjoy watching the stream. Some of these will pay a fixed subscription per month, which may give them access to additional streams or even just fun things like exclusive stickers to use in the chat box. Subscriptions exist mostly as a way for viewers to support their favorite streamers. The other way viewers can support streamers is through donations, which are done in the bit currency, which has a value similar to a cent. A 500 bit donation will give the streamer a $5 donation.

Regardless of whether people want to subscribe or donate, streamers with a high viewership will always have an income stream, as they will be earning from advertisements. Streamers are usually paid per 1.000 ad views, with ads usually showing up before or after a stream, and options also existing to play a 30 second ad at any random time.

Can Serious Money be made?

Most skeptics would expect Twitch streamers to be making a small income from their massive viewership, as they are “not really doing anything”. However, this could not be further from the truth and to be completely realistic, Twitch streaming is as much of a job as any other form of entertainment.

Going into actual numbers, we found that there are many different streamers who are making tens of thousands of dollars every month from their subscriptions alone. Every subscription costs the user $4.99 and at least half of that goes to the actual streamer. This may seem as a small amount, but considering that streamers like DisguisedToast have thousands of subscribers who pay this fee monthly, you can easily do the math and figure out that he is making some serious cash.

Of course, subscriptions are not the only way streamers make money and there is usually more cash in donations and ad money than subscriptions themselves. If you add these numbers to the tens of thousands that are already made from subscriptions, you could be talking a million dollars a year for some of the top streamers.

In fact, according to a Reuters report from 2019, Tyler “Ninja” Belvins actually got paid $1.000.000 in cold hard cash by EA Sports simply to play their game Apex Legends on his stream. That a million dollars in direct advertisement fee, with anything extra he made just being a cherry on the top.

Of course, streamers are not at liberty to discuss their actual numbers, but we don’t need to know them to understand that some of these guys could be living a millionaire lifestyle provided by nothing else than playing the games they enjoy and doing some fun commentary along the way.

Alec Gehlot Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal

PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform

Published

33 minutes ago

February 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

playsignal-debuts:-alec-gehlot’s-new-sophisticated-responsible-gaming-platform

Alec Gehlot, previous senior executive at Optimove, has introduced PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform aimed at assisting operators in identifying and addressing player risk promptly.

PlaySignal employs a traffic-light system featuring green, amber, and red signals to steer player conduct and indicate when behaviors start to enter higher-risk areas. The platform seeks to minimize avoidable exclusions by offering operators enhanced visibility of rising risks, while simultaneously giving players more understanding of how their actions are evaluated.

Leveraging behavioural analytics, PlaySignal tracks player actions during gameplay and displays information as distinct signals. This allows teams to act earlier and react more appropriately as risk evolves.

The product connects with current operator systems to assist responsible gaming, CRM, and compliance teams by providing a unified view of activities, encouraging a more uniform strategy among teams as regulatory demands grow in important markets.

Building on his time at Optimove, where he collaborated with operators on segmentation, retention, and user engagement, Gehlot recognized a demand for innovative tools to enhance player protection as regulatory and tax pressures mount in regulated markets.

The company launched PlaySignal at ICE earlier this year, where it was a contender in the Innovators Challenge, and initiated talks with operators in various markets. The initial launch will concentrate on the UK prior to global expansion.

Alec Gehlot, Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal, said: “Regulation and taxation are only moving in one direction, and operators need new tools to adapt. Player protection can no longer be treated as a compliance obligation; it has to become a competitive differentiator.

“Regulated operators are under real pressure, particularly in the UK, and we believe giving them earlier visibility of risk is essential not just for protection, but for long-term sustainability.”

The post PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Compliance Updates

BGC Response to Government Plans to Stop Premier League Clubs Accepting Sponsorship from Gambling Operators Not Holding a UK Licence

Published

33 minutes ago

February 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

bgc-response-to-government-plans-to-stop-premier-league-clubs-accepting-sponsorship-from-gambling-operators-not-holding-a-uk-licence

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) strongly supports government plans to ban Premier League clubs from accepting sponsorships from gambling operators lacking a UK licence.

A Betting and Gaming Council Spokesperson said: “The Betting and Gaming Council welcomes the Government’s plan to act to stop Premier League clubs accepting sponsorship from gambling operators that do not hold a UK licence.

“Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is right that gambling companies without a UK licence should be banned from sponsoring Premier League clubs and should go further to prevent these harmful illegal companies from sponsoring any sport in the UK.

“At a time when the regulated sector is facing significantly higher taxation and ever tighter regulation while reducing advertising spend, it is more important than ever that firm action is taken against the growing harmful black market.

“Licensed members of the Betting and Gaming Council are regulated in Britain and follow strict rules on consumer protection, safer gambling and robust financial safeguards. Whereas, the illegal, harmful black market operators do not. They undermine player protections, avoid taxes, ignore safer gambling standards and put consumers at serious risk.

“We support action that protects fans, upholds standards and keeps customers safe within the regulated market.”

The post BGC Response to Government Plans to Stop Premier League Clubs Accepting Sponsorship from Gambling Operators Not Holding a UK Licence appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Australia

Tabcorp Pays $158,400 Penalty for Taking Illegal In-Play Sports Bets

Published

33 minutes ago

February 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

tabcorp-pays-$158,400-penalty-for-taking-illegal-in-play-sports-bets

Tabcorp Holdings Limited (Tabcorp) has paid a $158,400 penalty for taking online in-play sports bets, which is illegal in Australia.

An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found Tabcorp accepted 426 in-play bets across 32 tennis matches between February 2024 and June 2025.

Online in-play betting, wagers made on a sporting event after it has commenced, is prohibited in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA).

The online in-play sports bets that were accepted in breach of the IGA were voided by Tabcorp and the bets were refunded.

The ACMA accepted the evidence from Tabcorp that the breaches occurred due to systems and communication issues with its third-party provider.

ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said this is the third time since 2021 that Tabcorp has breached the in-play betting rules.

“The law is clear and wagering services must have processes in place to prevent illegal in-play bets from being accepted,” Ms Lidgerwood said.

“While we understand that most wagering operators rely on third-party providers to close betting on sporting events, they cannot outsource their legal responsibilities.

“The length of time it took Tabcorp to identify and then fix the problem was concerning and we expect Tabcorp to do better in the future,” Ms Lidgerwood said.

In addition to the financial penalty, Tabcorp has entered into a comprehensive enforceable undertaking requiring the company to undertake a review of its systems and processes relating to the closing of betting on tennis matches and to report regularly to the ACMA.

The post Tabcorp Pays $158,400 Penalty for Taking Illegal In-Play Sports Bets appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.