The Bitcoin cryptocurrency was an important ingredient in this year’s Super Bowl LVI, the spectacular football final between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The presence of the virtual currency was in details such as bets, company advertisements and even what some of the athletes receive as income. For example, there are those who bet bitcoins on their favorite team and there were several cryptocurrency exchanges that were present in advertising spaces during the game.
“All bets are in on the family,” wrote singer Drake on his Instagram account, accompanied by an image in which it can be seen that he bet bitcoin in favor of the Rams, the team in which his friend Odell Beckham Jr. plays, who collects part of his salary in BTC. He also bet that Beckham Jr. would reach more than 62.5 yards per reception and that he would also score touchdowns at any time. In total, Drake wagered 5.4 million Canadian dollars in bitcoin, or about 100 BTC, according to the site’s price calculator.
One of the cryptocurrency exchanges that has become most involved with sport is FTX.US, and it could not be left out of one of the biggest sporting events in the US. The company had an advertising presence during the game, but it also gave away bitcoins to US residents who interacted with their Twitter account during the game.
“We’re giving some #bitcoin away! How much? $1 million worth?! $1.5 million worth?!!?! We don’t actually know yet. The later our Big Game ad airs, the more #bitcoin you can win. See you Sunday! #FTXcontest. No purchase necessary. Subject to T&C: https://ftx.us/dontmissout,” FTX.US tweeted on February 7.
“The next big thing is here, even if Larry can’t see it. We’re giving away 7.54 #bitcoin right now to celebrate! How to enter: 1) Watch our ad! 2) Follow us 3) Retweet this by 11:59 pm EST. Four lucky winners! #FTXContest,” they explained. The prize will be divided among four people who will have to open an account on FTX.US to receive the prize and is valid for US residents only.
During the NFL Finals, the Crypto.com exchange also made an appearance. The company had a 30-second commercial that it acquired from the NBC television network for approximately US$6.5 million
