As with all types of entertainment, people tend to have preferences of casino games based on geography. It’s quite well known, for example, that baccarat is very popular in parts of Asia, driving the revenues of the mega-casinos of Macao. In Las Vegas, blackjack remains king. The Japanese adore variants of Pachinko, and Aussie and New Zealanders are quite fond of pokies.

But for casino streamers – a growing trend on sites like YouTube and Twitch – the most popular game whether you are based in Sydney or Stockholm, San Francisco or Shanghai, seems to be Pragmatic Play’s creation, Sweet Bonanza. The game is about to celebrate its second birthday, having been released in late June 2019. But it has taken the casino industry, and the streaming industry, by storm.

If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can play Sweet Bonanza at casino.com’s New Zealand platform. Or, if you wish, just put the name into a YouTube search and see the endless list of videos that streamers have put up on the site. It’s all over the site, and Twitch too.

Casino streaming has become popular

A quick word on casino streamers, if you are not familiar with the concept. These are people who essentially play casino games – often live – to an audience. Like those gamers who might showcase their Fortnite or Minecraft skills, these streamers specialise in casino games. The market is a little more niche than video games, of course, but you might be surprised as to how popular these channels can be.

Nevertheless, Sweet Bonanza seems to be one of the hottest tickets, but can we reason why? The game looks quite fun, and it doesn’t exactly play like a traditional slot machine. Candy symbols appear on screen, and they will explode if you get enough of them, then more symbols fall down to replace them.

High stakes make for compelling viewing

To be frank, that description probably falls short of doing justice to the game’s attractions. However, it’s also true that the game looks quite unremarkable. Certainly, if you compare it to big-budget slots like Playtech’s Kingdoms Rise or Age of the Gods series, which literally look and play like video games, it might be hard to appreciate what makes streaming Sweet Bonanza a worthy spectacle.

Perhaps it is down to the huge prizes on offer with the game. Part of the appeal of casino streamers is that they often play for high stakes, meaning the rewards can be huge. Some streamers on YouTube will spend up to $50,000 on a session – directly buying the bonus feature for 1000s of dollars. Sometimes they win huge amounts; other times, they lose (as you’d expect from a casino game).

In that sense, when large wagers are involved, it becomes engrossing viewing. Think of it a bit like the final question in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? You might not enjoy quizzes, but the tension and the drama mean you can’t look away from your television.