It’s been a turbulent week for Kick and its co-founders, Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani.
Not only has their Formula One team sponsorship run into legal hurdles, but the platform itself is under intense fire following the tragic death of a popular French streamer.
F1 Sponsorship Deal Runs Into Trouble in the Netherlands
Kick’s co-founders are no strangers to controversy, and now their sports sponsorships have hit another roadblock.
Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, their sponsored Formula One team has been forced to change its name due to new gambling regulations.
Since 2023, the Swiss-based Sauber Motorsport team has been competing under the name Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber — a nod to Craven and Tehrani’s successful online casino, Stake, and their streaming platform Kick.
But in the Netherlands, new rules introduced earlier this year ban the promotion of gambling companies in sports.
That means no logos, no branding on vehicles, and no gambling-related names on driver suits.
The same issue cropped up at the Belgian Grand Prix last month, forcing Stake F1 to strip out its sponsorship imagery once again.
From Online Casino Giants to Global Sports Sponsors
Craven and Tehrani first found success in 2017 when they launched Stake, a cryptocurrency-based online casino that quickly grew into one of the world’s largest betting platforms.
With high-profile backers like rapper Drake, Stake became a household name in the gambling industry.
Riding on that success, they launched Kick in 2022, a streaming platform designed to rival Twitch.
The pair have since poured money into sponsorship deals with major sports brands — from Premier League club Everton to UFC, football legend Sergio Agüero, and, most notably, their Formula One partnership.
Kick Under Fire After Streamer’s Tragic Death
While the sponsorship drama unfolded, Kick was simultaneously facing an even darker controversy.
Raphael Graven, a well-known French streamer who went by the name Jean Pormanove, was found dead at his home in Nice earlier this week at the age of 46.
Graven had built a following on Kick, where live streams allow audiences to interact, donate, and, in some cases, push content creators into extreme challenges.
Reports in France claim Graven had been subjected to disturbing “humiliation streams” involving violence, dangerous stunts, and toxic substances before his death.
Viewers allegedly encouraged and paid for the abuse, with influencers Owen Cenazandotti and Safine Hamadi accused of carrying out the acts on camera.
Shockingly, reports suggest they earned more than £31,000 from these broadcasts.
Questions Surround Cause of Death
Despite the disturbing allegations, prosecutors in France have urged caution.
Damien Martinelli, the prosecutor handling the case, revealed that medical examiners found no signs of external or internal trauma.
Instead, the “probable causes of death” may be linked to toxicological issues or underlying medical conditions, including heart problems and thyroid treatment Graven had been undergoing.
Further tests are underway, but investigators have not directly linked his death to the on-stream abuse at this stage.
Kick Responds With Bans and Internal Review
In response to the backlash, Kick announced that all co-streamers involved in the controversial broadcasts have been banned from the platform while investigations continue.
The company also said it is carrying out a “complete re-evaluation” of its French content and moderation practices.
Kick has long been criticized for its looser rules compared to Twitch, its main competitor.
This incident has intensified debate about whether the platform is doing enough to protect its users from dangerous and exploitative content.
A Growing Storm for Kick and Its Founders
Between regulatory battles in Formula One and mounting questions over streamer safety, Kick and its founders are facing scrutiny on multiple fronts.
What was once seen as a bold new rival to Twitch is now under pressure to prove it can balance growth with responsibility — both in the fast-paced world of online streaming and in the high-stakes arena of global sports sponsorship.
