Streaming platform Twitch may be avoiding many types of gambling content, but it’s introducing a new one. Gambling on hamster races is real, and bettors can follow all the action on the Amazon-owned platform.

Hamsters.gg is a website that claims to be the home of the “world’s first live streamed hamster race.” The site features a prominent link to the Hamstersgg Twitch page, where viewers can watch the races.

The website appears to be very new – a search of the domain name shows that it was only registered this past May. However, it only started its races and betting activity less than two weeks ago.

Rapid Rodent Races

There’s not much information available about the platform and the fact that it only accepts bets through cryptocurrency adds to the anonymity. Entering the site with a username and password is not possible – connecting a crypto wallet is the only way.

I went deep into the belly of the beast to uncover the crazy internet trend in Hamster Betting. Yes, crypto has found product market fit in Hamster race betting. I talk about it here. Feel free to share if you like the content I need numbers for Elon media. pic.twitter.com/c6hJ2dlvPQ

— Jonah 🎮 (@RealJonahBlake) July 22, 2023

Tweeter user Jonah “RealJonahBlake” Blake posted about the site, suggesting that it could be based “somewhere” in Europe. He added that there were bets as high as $2,000 and, occasionally, as many as 4,000 viewers between Hamsters’ platforms.

The races apparently occur every hour, with the hamsters running through tubes to the finish line. The first one to cross is the winner, and those who bet on that rodent collect their winnings.

There are cameras atop each tube that follow the action, which the website owners claim is completely legitimate. Jonah points out that the hamsters don’t have to race – no one forces them to dart out of the gate when it opens. What is not clear is what happens to the bets on that hamster if it doesn’t race.

Another Twitter user, PZ, explained in a post that some hamsters, including Rocky and Buster, can regularly attract bets of $500. One of their competitors, CK, would be an underdog at any sportsbook that posted hamster racing odds. He’s won just eight races out of 334.

In addition, there’s a hamstersgg_betting feed on Telegram. This one, however, seems to be designed more to promote a crypto related to the platform. It has 160,382 subscribers.

Odd Move For Twitch

Less than two months ago, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy said that online gambling needs better regulations. He said in an interview with Twitch streamer Filian that gambling sites should “adhere to the regulations of most countries…”

Twitch had banned a lot of gambling content following backlash from certain high-profile content creators. The concern has been that many operators, especially those with a Curacao license, use influencers to promote their sites but don’t provide the protections that are found in “most major countries.”

It seems odd, then, that Twitch, even in the face of declining viewership, would allow Hamsters.gg on its platform. One could argue that perhaps it hasn’t had time to intervene, but two weeks should be more than enough for Twitch’s and Amazon’s robust software development skills to detect a gambling site.