Recently, the news of the arrest of Douyu CEO Chen Shaojie has sparked heated discussions. According to 21st Century Business Herald, an industry insider in Beijing who is close to Douyu revealed to reporters that the Douyu incident may involve a group of top game anchors in the future, mainly due to their involvement in gambling and money laundering.
Douyu is still the largest game live streaming station to this day. According to the latest October data from QuestMobile, Douyu ranks 16th in the "mobile video" application category based on the number of active users. The arrest of such a large live streaming platform CEO is indeed shocking, and the underlying reasons are even more shocking. According to the police report, Chen Shaojie was arrested in accordance with the law on suspicion of opening a casino. Previously, Douyu platform had been repeatedly exposed for suspected gambling.
According to previous media reports, the outdoor leader of Douyu Live Platform, "Sending Nine Outdoors," was exposed to be suspected of gambling with tens of thousands of people. The daily flow of water in the live broadcast room reached several million, and three of the involved anchors were subsequently held accountable under criminal law; Another anchor, "Changsha Rural Daredevil Team," organized a so-called "lottery activity" in the live broadcast room. In 2020, the revenue was as high as 177 million yuan, and it was called the "largest casino in Douyu" by netizens. However, it was still highly praised as one of the top ten peak anchors of the year on the platform that year. It is worth mentioning that Douyu Company is also one of the shareholders behind the institutions of "Sending Nine Outdoor" Company and "Changsha Rural Expendables".
The arrest of Chen Shaojie seems to confirm various speculations about gambling on Douyu platform before. Anyway, the top anchors openly engage in gambling, and as the top executives of the company and the platform, it is inevitable to blame them. Further investigation is needed to determine the roles played by Chen Shaojie and Douyu Platform.
According to a report by China Net citing a platform anchor, Douyu Platform may have been aware of the anchor's lottery cashback activities, and 50% of the anchor's revenue directly belongs to the platform. Previously, "Send Nine Outdoor" was exposed to be suspected of gambling with tens of thousands of people. The relevant person in charge of the platform responded that the lottery behavior in the live broadcast room and the host is not gambling, but "prize sales" in the commercial field, which is neither illegal nor illegal. In this regard, some netizens questioned Douyu's response, which was too light and did not fully recognize the seriousness of the problem. Some netizens also believed that Douyu should strengthen its management of anchors to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Has the live broadcast room transformed into an "online casino", and is the platform responsible for defending its territory? Or do we turn a blind eye for profit? Such an ambiguous and even indulgent attitude has seriously challenged the bottom line of law and morality. It is necessary to investigate carefully, and it is time to manage it.
In recent years, live streaming chaos has occurred frequently, and Douyu platforms have also been frequently on the brink of danger. In addition to gambling, they have also been accused of involvement in pornography. As early as February 26th, in the 2022 inventory of "Sweeping Pornography and Illegal Publications" released by the National Cyberspace Administration, Douyu was named. In April, during the first quarter "Clean Action" inventory released by the National Cyberspace Administration, Douyu became the only company to be named in both inventories, and was once again interviewed and punished for spreading obscene and pornographic content.
Now, the top person in charge of the company has been arrested on suspicion of opening a casino, indicating that Douyu did not attract lessons and has once again stumbled on compliance issues. As the saying goes, a gentleman loves wealth and takes it in a proper way. Live streaming platforms have long passed the period of wild growth. Whether attracting traffic or monetizing traffic, related behaviors must be within the legal and regulatory scope, challenging the bottom line of law and morality, which is equivalent to "fishing for all" and will always pay a price.
Platforms should also shoulder the main responsibility, strictly monitor the behavior of broadcasters and live content, strengthen supervision, and not abandon the bottom line for the sake of traffic and revenue. Indulging illegal and criminal activities, making the platform a mess, will ultimately only lead to lifting a stone and smashing oneself in the foot.
Special commentator Yu Ruoyan