YouTube and other social media platforms have taken a harsh stance against some poker content creators over the past year, leading to some suspensions and even permanent bans. But one online poker legend and content creator says legal action is the proper response, although it’s unclear if the proposed strategy applies to Americans.
Benjamin “bencb” Rolle gave some advice to the content creators among his X audience. He said that “talking to support” is a waste of time, but “working with law firms has done the job for us” in a lengthy tweet.
Many poker YouTubers, as part of an age restriction content crackdown on the video platform, have been temporarily suspended or banned in recent months. Brad Owen, the most popular poker vlogger in the U.S., even had his account briefly banned before quickly getting it reinstated. He isn’t the only one to run into issues, but Rolle might have a way to help.
Online Poker Player Takes on YouTube in Court
Had Owen been unable to get his ban lifted, it would have costed him a significant amount of revenue, given that he has nearly 800,000 YouTube subscribers and his videos often get hundreds of thousands of views. But other content creators haven’t been as fortunate and are still dealing with bans and content being removed on various social media platforms.
Rolle wrote that he’s had “several problems” with his Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts. Contacting customer support hasn’t been helpful during those situations. So, he took legal action.
“There are law firms that are specialised in dealing with this matter. And until these Social Media companies don’t have a letter from a lawyer on their table, they won’t care,” Rolle wrote.
Rolle, who won the WSOP Online Main Event for $3.9 million on GGPoker in September, aren’t expensive and only charge between €500 and €2,000 per case.
The poker pro called the legal expense an “unavoidable cost” in today’s gambling content creation environment.
Who Does it Apply To?
Rolle, who made it clear he isn’t giving legal advice and is only sharing his own personal experience, said his threats have been successful against IG and Facebook, as both platforms, within a couple months, lifted restrictions on his accounts. YouTube, on the other hand, is a different story.
“We have not taken any action with YouTube so far since the strikes expired, but at this point, it is getting too much,” Rolle shared. “There are certain EU laws that require YouTube to give you a specific reason for restrictions/strikes, which they mostly refuse to provide (their usual ‘Regulated Goods’ bullshit with random timestamps is definitely not sufficient according to my lawyer’s opinion).”
The British poker player recommends those in his situation consider finding a lawyer who specializes in dealing with the major social media platforms. He then said, based on his experience, to first have a consultation call with an attorney and ask for a quote.
The laws Rolle referred to, however, appear to mostly apply to European countries. Todd Witteles of PokerFraudAlert responded to Rolle’s tweet with a take from an American’s perspective.
I searched for US lawyers specializing in this a few years ago, and came up blank. Keep in mind that the US law is very immature regarding YouTube and other social media platforms, so your tactics, while successful in the EU, may not succeed in the US.
However, it is true that these platforms take communication from an attorney far more seriously than a user support request.
Oh… and nepotism always helps, if you have any contacts who know employees of these platforms. – Todd Witteles
YouTube and other social media platforms have restricted some gambling content the past year, and the poker community is fighting back.