Russian lawmaker pushes for Hamster Kombat ban over scam concerns

The head of the Russian State Duma Banking Committee, Anatoly Aksakov, has called for a ban on Telegram’s tap-to-earn money game Hamster Kombat, saying the game “manipulates” people’s minds.

Russian lawmakers appear ready to address concerns about Telegram’s Hamster Kombat, with the head of the State Duma Banking Committee, Anatoly Aksakov, criticizing the game for showing “clear fraud” features and potentially harming users.

Aksakov told local media that the State Duma had not yet thoroughly examined the issue, but said that a discussion would definitely be held, suggesting that Hamster Kombat could be a trap set by scammers who want to get rich quickly and effortlessly through gaming.

“These things need to be stopped. I think this is clearly a scam. It’s manipulation and exploitation of people’s psychology, especially those who are unwilling to work and dream of getting rich with minimal effort by playing games.”

Anatoly Aksakov

The legislator highlighted certain features of the game, such as additional tasks that promise increased earnings and boosts for faster progress, which are often associated with scams. Aksakov also expressed concern about the public’s increased susceptibility to external influences, which he believes could lead to harmful consequences.

“Unfortunately, in recent times, the tendency for the masses to become open to external influences has become evident, and this often leads to extremely negative consequences.”

Anatoly Aksakov

Hamster Kombat, which launched on Telegram in March, is a crypto-focused tap-to-win game that promises to distribute in-game virtual HMSTR tokens as TON-based digital assets, though the exact timeframe remains unclear. As our market analyst Toghrul Aliyev warned in a recent research report, HMSTR holders should expect significant volatility if trading begins, adding that the initial wave of sell orders “will likely put downward pressure on the price, causing it to fall below pre-market levels within minutes, hours, or days of launch.”