Telegram Tests "Gift Crafting": Casino Mechanics and Asset Burning
A new feature for gifts called "crafting" has been discovered in Telegram's code. The concept is simple: users will be able to combine multiple gifts into one to obtain a rarer item.
@tginfo summarizes the mechanics found by teleLakel:
• Risk of losing everything. The main feature is that the process does not guarantee success. Selected gifts may simply "burn". When combining two gifts, the chance of losing them is highest; with four, the risk is lower but still present.
• Merging. You can use up to 4 gifts for crafting. The resulting item will inherit the ID of the first selected gift (e.g., if you select gifts in the order [100, 50, 200], the new gift will receive #100).
• Color inheritance. If you combine 4 gifts of the same color, the result is guaranteed to have that same color. In other cases, attributes are rolled randomly.
• Irreversibility. Gifts created this way cannot be used for crafting again.
• Incompatibility with NFTs. teleLakel speculates that gifts previously minted on the TON blockchain as NFTs might be incompatible with the new mechanics.
Why is this needed?
Effectively, Telegram is introducing a gambling element. Users will face a choice: keep what they have or risk their assets for a chance to get a unique model.
From a market perspective, this is a classic way to drive up prices. "Consumable" gifts will be burned in large quantities, their total supply will decrease, meaning remaining and newly created items could increase in value.
The feature is not yet functional and may change by release. Crafting could become paid, the logic might change, or additional restrictions could be applied.
Previously, the @tginfo team discovered that the Telegram team is working on a gambling game, Emoji Stake, which allows betting on dice rolls. The messenger team also introduced an auction system for gifts, allowing Telegram to sell new models for the maximum price offered by the market.
@tginfo Editors Opinion: Untimely Gambling
Introducing blatant gambling mechanics in early 2026 seems like a highly risky move. Telegram is going against the trend of platforms striving for regulatory compliance.
• Brazil. Starting in March, a ban on selling lootboxes to children comes into effect. A local court has previously blocked Telegram, and repeated disregard for laws could cost the messenger this market.
• EU and Australia. The European Union is preparing laws against "addictive design," while in Australia, such mechanics automatically assign an "18+" rating to the app, threatening removal from public access in app stores.
#gifts
A new feature for gifts called "crafting" has been discovered in Telegram's code. The concept is simple: users will be able to combine multiple gifts into one to obtain a rarer item.
@tginfo summarizes the mechanics found by teleLakel:
• Risk of losing everything. The main feature is that the process does not guarantee success. Selected gifts may simply "burn". When combining two gifts, the chance of losing them is highest; with four, the risk is lower but still present.
• Merging. You can use up to 4 gifts for crafting. The resulting item will inherit the ID of the first selected gift (e.g., if you select gifts in the order [100, 50, 200], the new gift will receive #100).
• Color inheritance. If you combine 4 gifts of the same color, the result is guaranteed to have that same color. In other cases, attributes are rolled randomly.
• Irreversibility. Gifts created this way cannot be used for crafting again.
• Incompatibility with NFTs. teleLakel speculates that gifts previously minted on the TON blockchain as NFTs might be incompatible with the new mechanics.
Why is this needed?
Effectively, Telegram is introducing a gambling element. Users will face a choice: keep what they have or risk their assets for a chance to get a unique model.
From a market perspective, this is a classic way to drive up prices. "Consumable" gifts will be burned in large quantities, their total supply will decrease, meaning remaining and newly created items could increase in value.
The feature is not yet functional and may change by release. Crafting could become paid, the logic might change, or additional restrictions could be applied.
Previously, the @tginfo team discovered that the Telegram team is working on a gambling game, Emoji Stake, which allows betting on dice rolls. The messenger team also introduced an auction system for gifts, allowing Telegram to sell new models for the maximum price offered by the market.
@tginfo Editors Opinion: Untimely Gambling
Introducing blatant gambling mechanics in early 2026 seems like a highly risky move. Telegram is going against the trend of platforms striving for regulatory compliance.
• Brazil. Starting in March, a ban on selling lootboxes to children comes into effect. A local court has previously blocked Telegram, and repeated disregard for laws could cost the messenger this market.
• EU and Australia. The European Union is preparing laws against "addictive design," while in Australia, such mechanics automatically assign an "18+" rating to the app, threatening removal from public access in app stores.
#gifts