Key Takeaways
- Rumble is deepening creator monetization through Bitcoin and other crypto payments.
- The platform’s appeal is strongest among controversial and deplatformed figures.
- Crypto monetization arrives amid broader concerns about online gambling culture.
Rumble, the video-sharing platform popular with conservative commentators and controversial online personalities, has begun enabling audiences to tip creators directly using Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies.
The move allows creators, including figures such as Andrew Tate and Russell Brand, to have another means of earning money from viewers without relying on traditional advertising networks or banks.
What Rumble Bitcoin Payments Mean
Rumble Wallet allows users to tip creators natively in Bitcoin, Tether’s USDT stablecoin, and Tether Gold, with custody remaining in the hands of users rather than a central intermediary.
The wallet is built using Tether’s Wallet Development Kit (WDK). This would mark the “first real-world deployment” of that toolkit, according to Tether.
Moonpay will handle the crypto on- and off-ramps. The platform will allow users to convert between digital assets and traditional payment methods such as Apple Pay and PayPal.
Rumble founder and CEO Chris Pavlovski stated that the integration aligns with the company’s positioning around free expression.
“Rumble represents free speech and liberty the same way that cryptocurrency and a decentralized internet represent freedom,” Pavlovski said.
“We are putting more power into the hands of users and creators so they can engage with and financially support the content they like.”
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino also described the wallet as a step toward decentralized infrastructure that bypasses traditional financial gatekeepers.
Why Is Rumble Controversial?
Founded in 2013 by Canadian entrepreneur Chris Pavlovski, Rumble initially positioned itself as an alternative to YouTube for smaller creators.
It later rose to prominence as a platform that brands itself as “immune to cancel culture,” pushed on by its extremely relaxed content moderation practices.
The platform has attracted a large audience of conservative commentators, conspiracy theorists and political figures.
According to Pew Research in 2022, around three-quarters of users who regularly get news from Rumble identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning.
Rumble is also extremely popular with creators who have faced bans elsewhere.
For example, Russell Brand, banned from YouTube and charged with rape in December, has attracted a sizable audience on the platform.
Andrew Tate, who has also faced criminal investigations and platform bans, has also maintained a presence on alternative platforms like Rumble.
Peter Thiel and former Fox News host Dan Bongino support the platform, which reached a valuation of more than $2 billion at its initial public offering.
Crypto Casino Streams
While Rumble introduces Bitcoin to audience payments, other platforms have come under fire for their glorification of gambling and casinos, pushed by creators such as Adin Ross and Drake.
According to a recent report by The New York Times, a teenager identified only as David placed his first bet at a crypto casino when he was just 14 years old, after watching Ross and Drake gamble vast sums online.
By the time David turned 18, the Times reported, he had converted roughly $12,000 in childhood savings into cryptocurrency.
After doubling the money, he lost it all instantly.
In a desperate attempt to recover his losses, he secretly took out a $4,000 loan — and lost that too.
This is becoming a regular occurrence with young people watching platforms such as Stake and Kick, which have no moderation policies against gambling.
Casino sites pay influencers massive amounts of cash to promote their games on stream, giving the illusion that wins are common without catastrophic consequences.
The Times said the trend exposes a generation of young men to the illusion of effortless wealth, eroding their understanding of what money actually represents.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
