When it comes to casino streams, there is one name you cannot ignore: Roshtein. Several times a week the Swede with the distinctive hat gambles in different casinos with sometimes insane amounts. You can find it entertaining or boring. That is not what this is supposed to be about. But there are now so many allegations to read on the Internet about Roshtein and his business model as well as his missions that we want to take a closer look at them. But the business model with which Roshstein earns his money is not neglected either.
Who is Roshtein?
When it comes to his own person, Roshtein is covered. He doesn’t even reveal his last name when asked. But it now seems clear that his full name is Ismael Swartz. From then on, very little is known. Roshtein was born in Sweden and grew up there. He now works from Malta due to the Swedish gaming legislation.
The age should be somewhere in their 30s, but that’s about it. The fact that Roshtein reveals little personal information is quite understandable. Almost a year ago, some idiots threw stones and fireworks at the window of Roshtein’s apartment in Malta – during a live stream.
Because that much is clear: the great success, the insane popularity causes many envious people. Against this background, it is perfectly understandable that Roshtein would like to live as anonymously as possible.
Twitch
Roshtein would probably have lived a completely normal life if his twitch channel, established in 2016, had not gone off like Schmidt’s cat. Even though there are tons of Twitch casino streamers and Youtubers out there these days, it was quite innovative 5 years ago. In addition to Casinodaddy, Roshtein is one of the veterans.
Roshtein caused a stir with his incredible stakes. € 50 spins are not uncommon for him, but rather the norm. And the fine gentleman doesn’t play for less than 10 € anyway. This of course results in huge profits – and high losses. There are also some extremely blatant promotions such as his regular bonus hunt. That is why it was rumored again and again that Roshtein gambled with fake credit or play money. There are even a couple of videos out there to prove it.
Roshtein’s business model
First and foremost, sales are a tough business.
There are repeated claims through gambling forums that the stakes are fake. Because there is no other way of explaining the long-term large losses. The English website thePogg once calculated that Roshtein probably gambled away an average of 160,000 euros per month.
To speak of fake in general is nonsense, and the Roshstein is ultimately more intelligent than most people would like to believe. The high amounts that Roshtein plays with are business considerations.
After all, it is above all a brand that has to generate reach in order to reach as many viewers as possible. And that just doesn’t work with 10 cent spins. How successful Roshtein has been so far is shown by the following figures:
372,000 followers on twitch with Roshtein
On YouTube, his videos reach up to 1 million viewers each… .that is extreme for this niche.
Some 20,000 Google searches for Roshtein every month tens of thousands more followers on Facebook, Instagram, twitter and co.
That sounds quite impressive, although there are many influencers with significantly more followers. But the niche is crucial here. While the German Youtuber LeFloid reaches around 50 times as many people, the two will play in the same league in terms of income. Because the casino is very profitable business. The German Youtubers Knossi and Montana Black also earned a nice amount of money with Casino.
But we don’t want to go unmentioned the many rumors that Roshtein is using bot networks to push his follower numbers. But it has not been proven.
Fake bets in the N1 casino?
In one of the cited video evidence, Roshtein can be seen explaining the difference between demo mode and real money play after being asked whether he is playing with real money. In order to substantiate his statements, he then switches to play money mode. But this suddenly shows his normal balance. This is taken as proof that he is playing in the N1 casino with a special test account.
Technically, that would even be possible, and I am aware of such practices from dubious online casinos. Prominent critics are the casino streamers Casinodaddy who, on the other hand, are of course competitors. It would be nice if Roshtein had ensured transparency here. The N1 casino could also have asked the licensing authority to confirm the authenticity of the transactions. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, in case of doubt, the presumption of innocence applies.
This is how Roshtein monetizes its reach
The gambling industry is big and makes billions in profits. Because in the long run, no player can win against the house edge of the casino. Not even Roshtein. Anyone who recommends players to a casino earns very good money. This is done technically via so-called affiliate links. At Roshtein you will see many different and sometimes even exclusive new customer offers in every video. As soon as I click on one of these links as a viewer and register and deposit in the casino, Roshtein also earns. It’s called affiliate marketing and it’s definitely not rocket science.
Casino streamers either agree on a one-time fee per player (so-called CPA deal) or on a commission model. Here the affiliate participates in the player’s losses over the long term. Depending on the segment, you can certainly set a three-digit amount per recruited player. If Roshtein only recruits 1000 players per month, the income will be well over € 100,000. However, as I estimate, it will probably generate significantly more. Nevertheless, in addition to the losses, he also has to pay for the technology, employees, etc. The fan shop on Roshtein’s website certainly doesn’t make any money.
Does Roshtein play with fake money?
So we see that the Swede is making very good money advertising casinos. Nevertheless, some of his losses are enormous. But there is also a second thing: The bonus deals with the respective casinos. Because with many providers where Roshtein plays, he receives a further € 6000 bonus credit on a deposit of € 2000.
It is no different from other casino streamers. However, these prove the payouts of winnings with real receipts. This is not the case with Roshtein. What is the problem with publishing a few notarized payment receipts (of course with the blackened bank and personal details)?
It is of course also conceivable that Roshtein is simply incredibly rich and can easily put away the six-figure losses every month. I don’t think it’s so likely, but it’s possible.
How does a fake casino account work?
Each casino also has several so-called staging environments. These are primarily used to test new features or to simulate functions such as game rounds and payments. Nothing is real here, even if you can’t visually distinguish it from the original casino environment. Roshtein usually doesn’t even show his desktop or browser … that’s pretty weird. Other streamers have no problem with that.
It would therefore be conceivable that Roshtein would play with fake bets
Preliminary remark: The following points are not proof, at best they are indications. And as long as it is not proven that Roshtein does not play with real money, we will not claim otherwise. But we still want to explain why we have doubts about the whole story.
Game provider costs
Game manufacturers like NetEnt or Gamomat have a profitable business model. They make their software available to the casinos almost free of charge. But as soon as a player lets the reels spin, either a commission is due on each spin or the game manufacturer shares in the losses of the players. And with the sums that Roshtein gambled away, these are very high costs for the casino. In a test environment, these amounts do not apply and casinos would save five-figure sums per month.
Payment provider costs
For deposits and withdrawals, approximately 1-2% of the total is charged. You can quickly get over 100,000 euros per year if Rosh pays in and out on a regular basis.
No jackpot slots
It is also suspicious that Roshtein hardly plays slots with progressive jackpots. These do not work properly in test environments, since the slot is always connected to the network and increases continuously – with every use.
General losses
I have lived in Malta for a total of 7 years, which is supposed to be the home of Roshtein. Even if there are a total of 400,000 inhabitants here, we foreigners concentrate on a few places around Sliema, Saint Julians and Valletta. Everyone knows each other, and especially in the Swedish community, I have a pretty good network thanks to my Swedish best man. But nobody knew and knows Roshtein. How can someone suddenly appear on the scene in 2016 and gamble with stakes that only a millionaire can afford?
Rumors from the gambling world
There is a lot of gossip at gambling fairs and in the online casino world in general, especially when there are a few drinks involved. I’ve heard from some employees myself that streamers are being offered fake accounts. Even more: some employees openly admitted that streamers would use fake accounts with you.
On the casino platform Casinomeister, for example, the management of Casinodaddy expresses itself in this regard. That is not really tough. But the rumors are there – not only among spectators but also otherwise.
Is Roshtein an actor?
This accusation is even somewhat true. Because of course, Roshtein wants to sell one product above all else. The whole story is meant to keep us entertained, and sometimes it really does seem like the joy of winning is a gamble. But if you look at how much the young man could earn, then you understand his reactions better.
In the end, the streams are his livelihood, and he has to play his role anew every day. Isn’t it human that one has a bad day and cannot be so authentic?
Are the advertised casinos reputable?
In the end, our side, and Roshtein are even competitors. Because we also advertise for casinos – and earn money with it. In fairness, we would like to make this clear again here.
But it is always important to me that the casinos advertised really keep what they promise. Fund security, fair bonus conditions, good customer service, fast payouts, and a secure license are extremely important to me.
Most of the casinos that Rosh advertises are ok. However, he is not afraid to advertise some sites without an EU license. You can do it, but I think it’s bad. Because with a casino licensed in the EU, if problems arise, I can sue the casino in Germany. But if the provider is based in Curacao, then you have to file a complaint there – and experience has shown that this does not work out well for you. In addition, there are other advantages such as that your deposits at an MGA casino are always in an escrow account and are thus secured.
However, as an affiliate, you earn significantly more at these dubious casinos. From a business point of view, I can understand Rostein. But I don’t think the selection of his casinos is right. However, you have to give him credit for the fact that he – or his team, the good man now has some employees – is also committed to the players he recruits.
Good casinos
Since we are already on the subject of advertising, our partner links should not be missing. As I said, we benefit when you register at one of the following casinos. However, at least our recommendation list does not reflect the casinos that pay us the most, but rather the ones that we find best.
Responsible gaming
Another point that gives me stomach ache is Roshtein’s gambling behavior. Stakes in the range of € 2 or more can quickly lead to high losses – especially with very volatile slots like Book of Dead. € 10, € 30, or € 50 are hefty even for multimillionaires. Normal viewers could consciously or subconsciously get the impression that they can only make high profits with high stakes.
Gambling is entertainment. But if you overdo it, you risk slipping into gambling addiction. The extreme stakes are anything but normal and are questionable when it comes to responsible gaming. The same goes for the hours of casino visits. On average, the self-proclaimed casino philosopher gambles up to 12 hours four to five days a week. That is sick.
Would it be reprehensible at all if Roshtein gambled with “play money”?
The main attraction of twitch streams is the thrill caused by the extremely high stakes. Play money is about nothing – and the attraction would be gone. Who goes to a museum if there are no originals hanging there? Or to Bayern Munich when the third team plays there?
