Author: Oliver Dale

Editor-in-Chief of Computing.net and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact Oliver@blockonomi.com

Hamster Kombat has emerged as a viral sensation, captivating millions of players worldwide. This Telegram-based crypto game combines engaging gameplay with the allure of potential cryptocurrency rewards, creating a unique and addictive experience. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what Hamster Kombat is, how to play it, and what makes it stand out in the crowded field of play-to-earn games. Understanding Hamster Kombat Hamster Kombat is a play-to-earn game that operates as a bot on the Telegram messaging app. Launched in March 2024, it quickly gained popularity, amassing over 250 million players within just a few months. The game follows…

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TLDR Ontario’s iGaming market saw significant growth in Q1 2024-25, with active player accounts doubling to 1.9 million. Total amounts wagered increased by 31.4% year-over-year, reaching CA$18.4 billion (US$13.3 billion). Revenue grew by 34.4% year-on-year, amounting to CA$726 million (US$525 million). Online casino activities dominated, comprising over 84% of total wagers and nearly 73% of revenue. Sports betting saw a 25% increase in wagers year-over-year, but declined for the second consecutive quarter. Ontario’s online poker market grew 3.4% year-over-year, outperforming New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Ontario’s iGaming market has demonstrated robust growth in the first quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year,…

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TLDR New Zealand plans to regulate online casinos starting in early 2026. A limited number of licenses will be auctioned off, each lasting 3 years. Only online casino games will be allowed, not sports betting or lottery products. Licensed operators will be able to advertise with strict limits, but sponsorships will remain illegal. The minimum gambling age will be set at 18. New Zealand is set to join the ranks of countries regulating online gambling, with plans to license and regulate online casinos beginning in early 2026. This landmark decision, announced by Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden, aims…

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TLDR A new report suggests problem gambling rates in Britain may be higher than previously thought, especially among those who gamble online. 11 out of 20 Premier League teams will have gambling company sponsors on their shirts for the 2024/25 season. There are calls to ban gambling sponsorship in sports due to concerns about gambling harms. The top English soccer leagues have agreed to a voluntary code of conduct on gambling sponsorship. The code focuses on protection, social responsibility, reinvestment, and integrity. Gambling shirt sponsorships in the Premier League are set to be phased out by the end of the…

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TLDR Hamster Kombat, a popular Telegram-based crypto game, has delayed its token launch and airdrop originally planned for July 2024. The game’s developers cite technical complexities due to the large scale of the project (over 250 million players) as the reason for the delay. Several cryptocurrency exchanges, including OKX, Bybit, and KuCoin, have begun offering pre-market trading for the future HMSTR token. The Hamster Kombat team is working closely with the TON blockchain team to develop an efficient solution for the airdrop. The game has announced plans to revamp its Playground section, shifting focus from ad-heavy games to more relaxed…

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TLDR A U.S. government wallet transferred $2 billion worth of bitcoin to an unidentified wallet on July 29, 2024. The bitcoin appears to be from funds previously seized from the Silk Road dark web market. The government split the bitcoin into two addresses after the initial transfer. The move caused bitcoin’s price to drop below $67,000. There is speculation about potential political motivations behind the transfer. A wallet associated with the U.S. government transferred approximately $2 billion worth of bitcoin to an unidentified recipient. This massive transaction, involving nearly 28,000 bitcoins, has sparked discussions about government handling of seized digital…

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TLDR 21Shares has integrated Chainlink’s Proof of Reserve (PoR) system for its Ethereum ETF (CETH). The integration aims to increase transparency by allowing real-time verification of ETH reserves. This move follows 21Shares’ earlier integration of Chainlink PoR for its Bitcoin ETF. The integration comes shortly after the launch of the first spot Ethereum ETFs in the US. Chainlink’s PoR system pulls reserve data directly from Coinbase, where the ETF’s assets are held. 21Shares, a leading crypto investment firm, has taken a significant step to enhance transparency in the emerging world of cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The company recently announced the…

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TLDR OpenAI is reportedly on track to lose $5 billion this year due to high costs of AI training and operations. The company is estimated to spend $7 billion on training and operating ChatGPT, including $4 billion on server rentals. OpenAI’s expenses include about $3 billion for AI model training and data acquisition, and $1.5 billion for staff costs. Despite its $80 billion valuation, OpenAI may need to raise more funds within the next 12 months. The company faces increasing competition from other tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft. OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT, is reportedly facing…

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TLDR Microsoft is reporting its fiscal Q4 earnings, with investors focused on AI revenue and spending. Wall Street is looking for signs that Microsoft’s massive AI investments are starting to pay off. Microsoft’s cloud business Azure is expected to show continued growth, partly driven by AI services. Investors are concerned about the slow financial returns from AI investments despite steady growth. Microsoft needs to demonstrate accelerating revenue growth, especially from AI, to meet investor expectations. As Microsoft prepares to report its fiscal fourth quarter earnings, the tech giant faces increasing pressure from investors to demonstrate that its substantial investments in…

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TLDR Meta is launching AI Studio, allowing users to create custom AI characters for chat. The tool lets creators make AI versions of themselves to answer common questions from fans. AI characters can be used across Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and the web. No tech skills are required to create AI characters using templates or from scratch. The AI is built using Meta’s Llama 3.1 language model. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is rolling out a new tool called AI Studio in the United States. This platform allows users to create, share, and discover custom AI characters for…

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TLDR Nvidia unveiled new generative AI advancements at the SIGGRAPH conference, focusing on 3D and virtual world content generation. The company introduced NVIDIA Inference Microservices (NIM) for AI models that work with OpenUSD, a universal 3D data interchange framework. New tools and services aim to accelerate development in robotics, industrial design, and engineering. Nvidia is expanding its software efforts beyond just producing chips and hardware. The advancements include AI assistants for various tasks, including software debugging and chip design. At the recent SIGGRAPH conference, Nvidia unveiled a series of new generative AI advancements. These tools and services focus on creating…

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TLDR Bitcoin price nears $70,000 following Trump’s pro-crypto speech at Bitcoin 2024 conference Trump promised to create a “strategic bitcoin reserve” if elected Analyst predictions range from $100,000 to over $800,000 per Bitcoin Senator Cynthia Lummis plans to introduce a bill for the U.S. to purchase 1 million bitcoins Trump criticized the current administration as being anti-crypto Bitcoin’s price is approaching the $70,000 mark following former U.S. President Donald Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement of cryptocurrency at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville. The world’s largest cryptocurrency was trading at around $69,800 as of Monday, up 3.32% in the last 24 hours,…

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TLDR PEPE coin has shown a 4.84% increase in the past 24 hours The coin is consolidating between $0.0000127 and $0.0000113 Technical indicators suggest a potential bullish breakout PEPE has recovered 68% since early July lows Political developments and positive crypto market sentiment may support PEPE’s growth The popular meme cryptocurrency PEPE has been making waves in the market, showing resilience and growth amid broader market fluctuations. Over the past 24 hours, PEPE has seen a notable 4.84% increase, outpacing the average 3.66% growth in the meme coin sector. This recent performance has caught the attention of traders and analysts,…

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TLDR Apple’s new AI features, called Apple Intelligence, may be delayed until October The delay is reportedly due to concerns about stability across iPhone and iPad devices Apple plans to make Apple Intelligence available to software developers for testing this week Some advanced Siri features may not be included in the October release The delay gives developers more time to work out potential bugs Apple’s highly anticipated artificial intelligence features, collectively known as Apple Intelligence, may not be included in the initial release of iOS 18 in September as originally planned. According to recent reports, these AI tools are now…

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TLDR Elon Musk shared a manipulated AI video of Vice President Kamala Harris on X (formerly Twitter) The video used AI to mimic Harris’s voice, making false claims she did not say Musk initially shared the video without labeling it as parody or AI-generated This raised concerns about AI’s potential to mislead voters ahead of the U.S. election The incident highlights the lack of clear regulations for AI use in political content A manipulated video of Vice President Kamala Harris, shared by Elon Musk on his social media platform X, has ignited a debate about the use of artificial intelligence…

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