Why is Sneako suing Duel? Streamer reacts to controversial AI-generated casino video

Sneako has threatened to take Duel to court after the crypto casino shared an AI-generated video that showed the streamer praying on a blackjack table. The clip quickly drew backlash because it mixed his Muslim faith with casino gambling. Sneako condemned the promotion publicly, while Duel later apologised and said the employee responsible for the campaign had been fired.Why is Sneako angry with Duel over the casino video?The controversy began after Duel published a promotional video featuring an AI-generated version of Sneako praying on a prayer rug placed on a blackjack table. The video also portrayed him thanking the platform for supposedly creating the "first halal casino."For Sneako, who has publicly identified as Muslim since 2023 and has frequently discussed Islam during his streams and interviews, the imagery crossed a clear line.On September 15, he reposted the video on X and strongly criticised everyone connected with the campaign, writing:"**** Duel casino and everyone affiliated. May Allah burn you all in the pits of hell."The streamer later addressed the situation during a Kick stream. His anger remained clear as he criticised the people involved in producing and approving the advertisement.He said:"All these people affiliated and working for Duel, may Allah burn you... May Allah torture you in the bottomless pits of Jahanam... I'm serious... I pray for your humiliation. I pray for your torture in the pits of hellfire."The dispute then moved beyond social media criticism. Sneako announced that he planned to pursue legal action against Duel and said he intended to use money received from the case for a project in Gaza.He wrote:"I am suing Duel for everything I can and using their ****** money to build another school in Gaza."Sneako has not publicly detailed the specific legal claims he intends to bring or confirmed that a lawsuit has already been filed.Duel apologises to Sneako and fires employee over AI advertisementThe controversy also drew a response from Clavicular, a fellow Kick creator and Duel's "Chief Inclusivity Officer." He publicly rejected the advertisement and said it was inappropriate to use someone's religion in this way.Clavicular wrote:"This is not cool to disrespect religion. Chief inclusivity officer here to disavow this tasteless video."He later said he called Sneako personally and apologised, adding:"Your religion shouldn't be disrespected."Clavicular initially claimed that the advertisement came from a "rogue agent" and said the people directly involved with Duel had not authorised it.He stated:"No one who's actually a part of Duel had anything to do with that campaign. It was a rogue agent."Duel's own statement offered a different explanation of the campaign's origin. The company accepted responsibility and said its content team had handled the advertisement from start to finish.Duel said:"We want to take this moment to apologize, unreservedly, for the absolutely tone-deaf edit of Sneako praying on a prayer rug that went out from our channels. This was executed end to end by our content team. That changes nothing about where responsibility sits."The company also confirmed that an employee named Nelli, who appeared to be responsible for the AI edit, had been fired.Duel added:"Mixing anything Islamic with the Duel Blackjack table was an absolute mistake. Nelli has been fired from Duel, effective immediately. To our Muslim friends, colleagues, and neighbors: like the faith you practice, we try to spread only peace and cohesion, and we deeply apologize for this transgression. We will keep a strict eye on quality control going forward to make sure nothing like this ever slips by again. Our own faith asks us to love our neighbor as ourselves. In this, we fell short. We are sorry."For now, the key question is whether Sneako follows through on his threat of legal action. Duel has apologised and taken internal action, but the streamer has indicated that the matter may not end with the company's response.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.