Despite winning a Street Fighter tournament with a grand prize of more than $46,000, well-known Japanese player Momochi walked away with less than $600, a direct result of the gamer's hard stance against Japan's gaming laws.
The Tokyo Game Show, which took place in Japan on Sept. 14 and 15, played host to the Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Super Premier. The tournament boasted an impressive 5 million Yen top prize ($46,500).
Momochi won the Super Premier, reports Event Hubs. This would seem to be cause for celebration, but maybe not so much in this case. The Japanese gamer left the Tokyo Game Show with less than $600 rather than the $46,500 he should have won. It's a result of Japan's strict gambling/gaming laws and Momochi's stand against them.
In Japan, competing in any video game tournament with a cash prize is deemed as a form of gambling. To eschew these laws, authorities came up with the idea of a Pro Gamer License for professional gamers. Players in possession of a license who win money competing in a tournament are granted certain exemptions to the laws. There is presumably no need for them to worry and they can retain all their winnings.
Herein lies the problem. Momochi doesn't have a Pro Gamer Licence, and it's no accident. Two years ago, the tournament winner publicly shared his disagreement with the proposed system. He said he didn't believe outside forces should be able to dictate what does and does not define a professional gamer, and that decisions such as those should be left to the gaming community. In protest, Momochi has refused to become a licensed pro gamer, and therefore is not entitled to his full cash prize.
Rather than nothing at all, Momochi received a small fraction of the prize because even competitors without Pro Gamer Licenses can win up to 100,000 Yen ($930). The protesting gamer received a monitor from a sponsor, calculated against that 100,000 Yen threshold. Hence, the player didn't crack the $600 mark with the tournament earnings.
It's unknown whether Momochi will continue to stand tall following this staggering loss of winnings, or if the player will cave in to pressure to support the system so he can increase his earning potential. In 2019, professional gamers can stand to earn a lot of money as recent large payouts from games such as Fortnite and League of Legends show.
Source: Event Hubs