Key Takeaways
- The Sidemen’s casino recap reports wins for Josh, Simon, Ethan and Tobi, while Harry lost $1,000.
- Casino-content tracker SlotsFan recorded 1.14 billion views across its tracked channels in the second quarter of 2026.
- YouTube has tightened its online gambling rules.
The Sidemen’s Las Vegas casino challenge left some members celebrating and Harry counting his losses, with the group reporting sharply different results from their gambling session.
Their new upload, Sidemen Spend 24 Hours in Las Vegas, follows a challenge to complete 100 activities across the city. Among the tasks was gambling $1,000, along with a separate slot machine challenge.
The casino segment arrives as gambling channels continue to surge in views on YouTube, while researchers warn that they can blur the boundaries between entertainment and gambling promotion.
Sidemen Reveal Their Las Vegas Casino Results
The gambling sequence follows the group’s arrival at Park MGM, with group millionaire member Harry claiming, “This is when I become wealthy.”
“This is financial freedom right now,” Simon replied.
However, the group’s results were more mixed.
Josh and Simon win $2,000, while Ethan and Tobi are credited with $2,500.
Harry, meanwhile, lost $1,000.
Casino Creators Draw Billion-View Audiences on YouTube
Beyond occasional casino visits in entertainment videos, dedicated gambling creators are generating large viewing figures.
Casino-content website SlotsFan reported that channels in its database attracted 1.14 billion views between April and June 2026, compared with 850 million in the previous quarter.
Individual creators also recorded substantial increases.
According to the tracker, popular gambling creator Vegas Matt’s quarterly views rose from around 130 million to more than 176 million.
His channel also added 130,000 subscribers during the second quarter.
Gambling Content Raises Concerns Over Younger Viewers
The rise of gambling content online has coincided with a rise in concerns surrounding its impact on younger viewers.
Research commissioned by GambleAware in 2025 found that gambling-related influencer content could make betting appear “rewarding” to children and young people.
The researchers found that young people who followed gambling influencers were more likely to regard gambling as “harmless fun” and use promotional codes.
YouTube has responded with tighter restrictions.
Changes in March expanded its rules regarding directing viewers to gambling sites or apps not certified by Google.
The restrictions cover links and logos displayed in videos.
Content promising guaranteed gambling returns can also be removed, regardless of whether the operator is approved.
Further changes in November expanded this enforcement to gambling involving items with monetary value, such as video game skins, cosmetics, and NFTs.
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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.
