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NeoBurger, a smart contract-based staking protocol launched in 2021, has announced it will discontinue operations due to upcoming changes to the Neo blockchain’s voting and reward distribution mechanism.
The changes, outlined in issue #4467 on the Neo GitHub, eliminate the additional $GAS rewards previously granted to voters and introduce a new protocol-level staking model. According to the proposal, the initial voting model was designed to promote participation through incentivization. However, in practice, voters often cast ballots without consideration or routed their votes to incumbent committee members, limiting the effectiveness of decentralized governance.
Under the new model, $GAS rewards will no longer be tied to voting behavior. Instead, users must explicitly stake their $NEO through a non-custodial, opt-in mechanism in order to receive rewards. Voting will continue to function for consensus node selection and governance participation, but it will no longer offer financial incentives. The total $GAS emission rate will remain unchanged, with redistribution based solely on staking activity.
NeoBurger was specifically designed to optimize user participation in governance by tokenizing $NEO into bNEO, allowing users to earn higher yields by automatically managing validator voting on behalf of the token owner. The upcoming change proposed in #4467 renders this core mechanism obsolete.
“NeoBurger was designed and built on the existing reward distribution rules, where voting participation generated additional yields,” the team shared in its public announcement. “With the removal of this mechanism, the underlying conditions that NeoBurger relies on will no longer exist.”
The NeoBurger team strongly supported the protocol update, describing it as a “practical and reasonable” shift that strengthens the long-term sustainability of the Neo ecosystem.
NeoBurger’s shutdown will occur in three phases:
- Until May 1, 2026: All services will continue to operate normally. Users can mint and redeem bNEO, and $GAS rewards will be distributed as usual.
- May 1 – Aug. 1 $GAS distribution will stop, but minting and redemption functions will remain available.
- After Aug. 1: All NeoBurger services will be permanently shut down. Users who have not withdrawn funds by this date are advised to contact the team via email at neoburger666@gmail.com for assistance.
NeoBurger is urging all users to redeem their bNEO and withdraw funds as soon as possible.
The full announcement can be found at the link below:
https://x.com/NeoBurger_io/status/2018230100882501741
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