Crypto exchange FTX is giving away bitcoins as part of its Super Bowl ad — but it comes with a twist

• FTX is giving away free bitcoins as part of its ad campaign for Super Bowl LVI on February 13.
• The promo comes with a twist: The amount of free bitcoin will depend on the time FTX's ad runs.
• For instance, if it airs at 9:02 p.m., the exchange said it will give away 9.02 bitcoins.

Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX is giving away free bitcoins as part of its ad campaign for Super Bowl LVI on February 13 as the cryptocurrency exchange marks its first spot during the NFL championship game.

The campaign does come with a twist: The size of the bitcoin giveaway will depend on the time the ad runs. For instance, if it airs at 9:02 p.m., the exchange said it will give away 9.02 bitcoins. As of Monday, that's worth about $397,000.

To be eligible, participants have to follow the FTX Twitter account and retweet the pinned tweet between the time it airs and until 11:59 p.m. ET. No purchase is necessary, though participants have to be legal residents of the US (except for New York).

Four winners will be notified afterward, the exchange said. To claim the prize, they must open and get approval for FTX accounts.

—FTX - Built By Traders, For Traders (@FTX_Official) February 7, 2022

The airtime slot for FTX's ad is scheduled in the game's second half, though the exact time was unspecified. Bankman-Fried first revealed his firm's ad purchase in October 2021.

"Sports fans are 2x more likely to know about crypto than nonsports fans," the founder and CEO said at the time. "Avid sports fans are nearly 3x as likely."

Other crypto firms have joined the Super Bowl ad bandwagon. Coinbase Global, the largest crypto exchange in the US, will be running a spot, according to the Wall Street Journal, as well as Canadian crypto exchange BitBuy.

Super Bowl LVI will be played between the National Football Conference champions the Los Angeles Rams and the American Football Conference champions the Cincinnati Bengals.

The annual championship game is a massive television event most years, with the 2021 game pulling in 91 million viewers.