A message launched on Telegram by “The Pengwin”, a well-known tipster and content creator followed by over 1 million users on Instagram and 800 thousand subscribers on his Telegram channel, has turned the spotlight on the televoting for Sanremo 2025.
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“Shall we join forces and take it home?”: this is the appeal that would have triggered the alarm, pushing its vast community to mobilize not for a sports bet, but for the Italian Song Festival.
At the heart of the operation is Rocco Hunt, the singer from Salerno competing with the song “A thousand more votes”. Pengwin, whose real name is Kristian, has in fact decided to bet on the rapper from Campania, inviting his followers to replicate his move. However, it is not a simple bet: the proposed mechanism could influence not only the flow of episodes related to the Festival, but also the televoting, this year more than ever decisive for the assignment of the final prize.
The Pengwin Operation: Betting and Televoting
As reported by Fanpage, Pengwin reportedly shared on his Telegram channel, “Pengwin Advice”, a strategy divided into three types of bets: one on Rocco Hunt's final victory, one on a top 5 finish and one on a top 10 finish. The latter, according to the tipster, would be the most accessible. “The aim of our operation is, thanks to televoting and our votes, to get Rocco Hunt into the top 10 of Sanremo”, the content creator reportedly wrote.
Pengwin would also show followers how he divides his budget, emphasizing that the share for the “TOP 10” by Rocco Hunt is hovering around 1,80/2,00, making it an attractive option. “After many requests, I decided to take a risk and go hard, without filters. Let's join forces and take it home?”, he added, pushing the community to join the operation.
While Pengwin does not explicitly call for a mass vote for Rocco Hunt, phrases like “thanks to televoting and our votes” o “let's join forces” could push its 800 thousand subscribers to support the singer not only with bets, but also through televoting. An eventuality that, if materialized, could alter the final ranking of the Festival, in addition to generating a significant economic return for those who bet on the rapper from Salerno.
Social mobilization and doubts about legality
Pengwin's operation was not limited to betting. The tipster would have invited his community to comment en masse on Rocco Hunt's latest post on Instagram, promising a reward. “Rocco Hunt's latest post currently has about 270 comments”, Pengwin reportedly wrote, before launching the challenge. The result? The comments under the singer's post skyrocketed to over 30 thousand, many of which were accompanied by a penguin emoticon and a tag to Pengwin's Instagram profile.
While on the one hand asking followers to comment on a post is not an offence, on the other hand the invitation to “get into the top 10” an artist through mass televoting raises questions. Pengwin himself seems to have perceived the risks of the operation, as demonstrated by a video message reported by Fanpage: “Tonight when there is no more possibility of entering I will delete everything, to avoid problems. I don't know how quiet this stuff is”, he reportedly declared, casting some doubt on the legality of his move.
Rocco Hunt in the dark
According to what emerged, Rocco Hunt would be completely unrelated to the Pengwin operation. The singer, at the moment, has not released any statements on the matter, leaving room for speculation on how this mobilization could influence his performance at Sanremo 2025.
In the meantime, the case has already sparked discussion, bringing to light the potential impact of online communities not only on betting, but also on the voting mechanisms of cultural events such as the Sanremo Festival. An issue that could open a broader debate on the limits between gambling, influencer marketing and fair play in artistic competition.
Article published on 13 February 2025 - 18:27
The article about Pengwin and Rocco Hunt is very interesting, but there are many questions about how betting influences televoting. Is it right to mobilize the community in this way? And are the legal risks real or exaggerated? We should think about it.