By Bridgette Webb

Savings app Long Game is giving consumers a new incentive to save cash: cryptocurrency.

"It's a fun way to start getting educated about the markets and see where it's going," CEO Lindsay Holden said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar.

Launched in 2017, Long Game uses games and rewards to improve millennials' financial habits by leveraging mobile gaming and lotteries. Instead of a flat interest rate like most savings accounts, users are rewarded with coins for saving and keeping their balances up.

"We hope it will encourage savings and build the financial foundation that you need," Holden said of the feature that launched Thursday.

The app's new cypto feature will reward users who meet savings goals with Ether, other forms of cyrpto, and special game coins. Those winnings can be applied to games of chance for prizes of up to $1 million.

The new feature arrives as saving rates in the U.S. have taken a dive. A reported 40 percent of Americans are unable to cover a $400 emergency expense. Over a quarter of millennials and Gen Xers have nothing in the bank for an emergency, and many don't even consider saving for retirement.

It's a reality that Holden says is destructive for Long Game's target base. But she's optimistic her app can effectively change millennial habits ー mostly because it's fun to use.

"We are saddled with student debt, and more importantly the tools out there aren't working for us today," she said.

"What Long Game is trying to do is build something that works for our millennial audience, that has fun rewards like cryptocurrency, and we will continue to stay current and offer new rewards that are compelling," she said.

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