Today there are all sorts of ways for people to make money through online activities. Aside from ordinary work opportunities and “gigs,” people seek side profits through surveys, study participation, and even a variety of services that reward basic internet usage (as outlined in our post ‘Get Paid for Searching the Web’). Another avenue by which people seek side income online, however, is gaming.
This is a little bit different, because gaming offers few if any opportunities to make money without risk, a significant time commitment, or both. Nevertheless, there are several opportunities for gamers that — when things go absolutely perfectly — can be quite lucrative.
Online Poker
The idea of lucrative poker winnings is most commonly thought of with regard to professional tournaments. Nearly 20 years ago now, amateur player Chris Moneymaker brought attention to the pro game by winning a $2.5 million grand prize — on just a $40 buy-in, as the New York Times recounted. This led many to watch year in and year out as top pros raked in similarly enormous prize pots. And yet, online poker is often an even more profitable arena for skilled competitors. Successful online poker players routinely take in four- and five-figure prize pots with occasional larger wins, such that even if there isn’t a $1 million pot (which does happen online), total earnings add up to fortunes.
Online Slot Machines
Sticking with casino gaming, slots are typically associated with fairly small amounts: tiny buy-ins, lucky wins of a few dollars at a time, etc. This is a fair perception of the bulk of online slot activity, but there are also accumulated jackpots in this space that do amount to more significant winnings for the luckiest of gamers. The slots on Foxy Games use this to attract players, and in doing show do a particularly good job of showcasing potential winnings. The very covers of slots with built-up jackpots are tagged with dollar amounts on the table — ranging from $10,000 or so to more than $300,000. These amounts show ambitious slot gamers where to go for the chance at a fortune, even if — again — it’s all entirely based on luck.
Streaming
Moving away from online casinos, there are also other ways for modern gamers to make money online — typically with a bit more autonomy and skill than is required at casinos. Most notable is perhaps the phenomenon of game streaming. Thanks to platforms like Twitch (or even YouTube for that matter), skilled, dedicated gamers now have the opportunity to amass huge followings. They might do so by commentating on their own games, sharing tips about popular titles, or even simply serving as entertaining personalities to various fan bases. Naturally it takes a lot of time and effort to reach the point at which an audience is significant enough to amount to meaningful earnings. But the top game streamers can make millions in a given year.
eSports
The eSports industry has also presented opportunities for skilled and active gamers to translate their talents to what is effectively a professional sport. Per Business Insider, as of 2018 some of the top teams in eSports were earning well over $10 million each. And since then, the industry has only grown larger, and the prize money along with it. This is an extremely competitive space at this point; gamers play for hours each day to train, and there are even college courses now dedicated to the practice of eSports. Nevertheless, for those who want to make money online and have a passion for gaming, eSports can at least be worth exploring.
Crypto Gaming
This is a slightly different category, because there isn’t massive potential just yet save for perhaps in a few cryptocurrency-driven casinos that have emerged across the web. However, there are various crypto arcades online though which players can earn small quantities of digital currency simply by playing games. This is somewhat closer to some of the simpler internet activities (like surveys and web browsing) that people can earn money from, but it’s nonetheless another way to win money by gaming.
None of these opportunities should be looked at as side gigs or investments. As stated, they all involve risk, serious time investment, or both. But there is potential for serious earnings across the board, which makes these gaming options relevant in a time when so many are seeking side revenue online.
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