Streamer Hamstersgg Hosts Hamster Race

Unexpectedly, online hamster race betting has become more popular on Twitch, a website more commonly used for streaming video games and esports events.

The first live-streamed hamster race in history is held by Hamsters.gg and draws tens of thousands of people. Popular race hamsters including “Oliver,” “Popcorn,” “Rocky,” and “Sparky” are featured on the site, and all of the action is webcast on Twitch. Users gamble on their preferred furry competitors as they race around miniature racetracks, their every move being live-streamed for interested spectators and eager bettors. The hamsters are not compelled to participate in the races, but if they do, they are observed by an overhead camera as they walk over a track.

Unsurprisingly, worries regarding the hamsters’ welfare have been expressed. RealJonahBlake, who frequently offers insights into the cryptocurrency gaming market, investigated the bizarre new internet craze in depth.

“These hamsters are well taken care of,” Jonah claimed. “I have no idea, I have no proof of this, but if I thought they were actually in danger, I wouldn’t even consider making this video.” According to a rodent lab employee Jonah spoke with, the hamster races may be taking place someplace in Europe in accordance with EU animal care standards.

The expert added that putting hamsters in a hamster wheel rather than a strange environment would be more humane because hamsters might become stressed in new environments. 

Videos of the hamsters in their cages before and after the races are available on the website Hamsters.gg as “quality of life” videos. Although the living conditions have not been independently verified, these movies are supposed to reassure viewers that the hamsters are well taken care of. Users can wager on the races using the cryptocurrency HAMS, which runs the races every hour. This token is used by participants to wager on various hamsters. Every hour, the races are recorded and broadcast on Twitch. That recording is in a VOD that VOD passes on to the chain, and apparently there’s a randomizer a random number generator for the seed which supposedly makes it provably fair, as Jonah notes. 

It is still unknown if wagering on hamster races is permitted or how long this fad will persist.