Japanese Game Developer Gumi to Hold $106k BTC Lottery for Shareholders
The Bitcoin-keen Japanese game developer Gumi has announced it will hold a $106,000 BTC lottery event for new shareholders. According to a Gumi press release and a report from the Japanese-language media outlet CoinPost, the company will hold the lottery as a “perk” for shareholders investing in the Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed company.
Gumi: BTC Lottery for Shareholders
The firm said its “shareholder benefits program” would apply for investors buying stocks in the company during the current financial year (which ends in April 2025).
The company said it was partnering with the Japanese crypto exchange SBI VC Trade for the lottery event. Gumi said that eligible participants would include people with 500 or more shares in the firm as of the end of April 2025. The developer said it would conduct a total of three draws. During the first draw, 30 winners will receive Bitcoin tokens worth 100,000 yen (around $664). Next, 100 winners will receive Bitcoin worth 30,000 yen (around $200). Finally, 1,000 people will receive BTC worth 10,000 yen (over $66). The firm said it would calculate the exact value in BTC based on SBI VC Trade prices on August 15, 2025. Shareholders will have to register their interest in participating in the event by the end of July. They will also need to have a SBI VC Trade account.
Not Just Gumi: Japanese Firms Flock to BTC
Gumi has stepped up its crypto-related activities this year. Last month, it unveiled plans to join the fast-growing ranks of Japanese firms using their balance sheets to buy BTC. Other notable Japanese firms spending on Bitcoin in recent months include the real estate and digital transformation player Value Creation, the investment company Metaplanet, health provider SBC Medical Group, and the auto trading firm Remixpoint. In February, Gumi said that it would buy 1 billion yen (around $6.58 million) worth of Bitcoin. The company said this was part of its “strategic expansion” into the blockchain and web3 sectors. The gaming firm said it wanted to wrap up its BTC purchases by the end of May. Leading Gumi game titles include the blockchain game Phantom of the Kill – Alternative Imitation and the RPG Ragnador.
The firm also rose to prominence in the crypto sector when it became the first listed company in Japan to become a validator for the Bitcoin staking service Babylon. Meanwhile, SBI has announced that it will launch a new fintech center in the city of Osaka on April 1.
New Blockchain Hub in Osaka?
SBI said it would use the new facility to promote fintech-related technology and services to the outside world. It will also use the center to hold business and blockchain-related events for fintech players in Osaka and the Kansai region.
The firm added that it wants to hold a blockchain business contest in July in conjunction with the Osaka Prefectural Government. In 2019, SBI launched a crypto-themed shareholder giveaway of its own, announcing it would pay out XRP 30 to investors with 100 or more shares in the securities company. The domestic crypto exchange Coincheck, meanwhile, has recently announced plans to launch a service for corporate crypto investors, sensing a further rise in the number of Japanese companies turning to BTC.