Daniel Negreanu Says YouTube Wants to Destroy Poker Content
Daniel Negreanu, the longtime face of modern poker and GGPoker ambassador, believes YouTube is actively working against the game’s creators. He called out the platform’s age-restriction policy in a post on X, claiming it has slashed his viewership and silenced creators across the space.
With other top names like Brad Owen also raising concerns, creators are now questioning whether poker is being unfairly targeted — and what that means for the future of the game online.
Crushed Viewership
“YouTube truly has a clear objective to destroy poker content,” Dnegs posted on X at the end of September, after yet another of his World Series of Poker Online streams was hit with an age restriction within minutes of going live. The change, according to Negreanu, crushed his channel’s performance – and the numbers back him up.
In 2024, Negreanu streamed nine sessions, totaling over 2 million views. The average, roughly 227,000 views per stream, fell sharply in 2025. This year, across thirteen sessions, his streams have drawn just under 800,000 views combined, averaging out to about 61,000 views per video. That’s a 73% drop in average viewership – one he directly attributes to YouTube’s algorithm suppressing age-restricted videos.
“A Dangerous Place for Poker Creators”
Negreanu isn’t the only one ringing the alarm, as Brad Owen, widely regarded as one of the most influential poker vloggers today, had one of his side channels completely removed by YouTube on September 26. The platform also flagged his other accounts, warning they could also be taken down. Though Owen was eventually able to appeal and recover the channel, the ordeal made it clear there’s a growing unease among poker creators.
“YouTube is not a particularly safe place for us,” Owen wrote. “I recommend trying to grow on as many platforms as possible so that we’re not nearly as susceptible to nebulous policies and flat out errors by algorithms that terminate entire channels and years worth of work”.
Even with a large following and public support, Owen faced an uphill battle. Smaller creators – those without a fanbase ready to amplify their concerns – may never see their channels reinstated.
A Policy That Buries Content
The core issue stems from YouTube’s recent enforcement of age restrictions on gambling-related content. The platform now requires users to be logged in and verified as 18+ to even see age-restricted videos on their homepage – a step beyond the existing “not made for kids” option many creators already checked – one that, according to Owen, already restricts content to “99%+ 18 and older”.
When videos are flagged as age-restricted, YouTube’s recommendation engine largely stops promoting them. “Views almost completely die,” Owen wrote in response to Negreanu’s post.
The shift hits poker content especially hard. Unlike traditional gambling streams – many of which prioritize visual spectacle or highlight wins – poker vlogs often feature longform strategy, gameplay breakdowns, and personality-driven storytelling. That nuance, creators argue, is being punished the same as more questionable gambling content, while other channels escape scrutiny altogether.
A Double Standard?
Poker fans have also questioned whether YouTube is applying its policy evenly. In a reply to Owen, one user pointed out the sheer volume of slot streamers – many of them allegedly promoting sweepstakes coin sites or broadcasting from casinos – who appear unaffected.
“Poker vlogs being taken down meanwhile if you scroll YouTube Live there’s 40,000 sweeps coin scam casino online slot players broadcasting their fake scam gambling,” the user wrote. “And there’s also 100+ slot channels doing slot gameplay at real casinos and uploading it w/o issue”.
Despite repeated pushback from major figures like Negreanu and Owen, YouTube has not responded publicly with clarifications or adjustments to the policy.