Christopher “dexter” Nong has provided exact financial figures regarding his compensation as a professional esports athlete. In a recent video on Instagram, the Australian in-game leader addressed one of the most common questions directed at professional players by revealing his earnings from two vastly different periods of his career.
“Every time I talk about my career as like a Counter-Strike professional, there’s usually one question that always like everyone asks and that’s usually, how much do I make?” dexter stated in the video. “Well hopefully this video is going to be like a clear answer to that for the rest of my life.”
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The financial reality of early career struggles
During 2018, dexter experienced his lowest-earning year as a professional player. He reported making approximately $3,000 per month. The financial compensation caused him to question his career path, despite the period being enjoyable.
“These years were probably the funnest years I’ve had in CS because it wasn’t too serious at the time, but um yeah the money was not good at all,” dexter explained. “I was watching all my friends and family and everyone make way more than I ever did and I was like, is this the right career choice?”
Paris Major sticker money boosted his peak earnings
By 2023, dexter reached his most lucrative year while competing for the German organization MOUZ. He earned $640,000 AUD before tax, which converts to approximately $451,539 USD. A substantial portion of this gross income was generated by sticker revenue from the BLAST.tv Paris Major, the final Major championship for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The tournament generated record-breaking sticker sales for the participating teams and players.
“That year, we were able to make roughly $640,000, roughly six hundred and forty thousand dollars Australian before tax so that was definitely great,” dexter revealed. “A lot of that money came from sticker money.”
Despite the financial success the tournament provided him, MOUZ had a brief run at the event. The team was eliminated in the Challengers Stage of the Paris Major without securing a single match victory. He also added that during his time living in Germany, his earnings were subject to a 45% tax rate.
Dedication is required for a career in gaming
Today, dexter competes for THUNDERdOWNUNDER, an org-less team based in Australia. The squad recently participated in the IEM Cologne tournament, where they faced early elimination in Stage 1 after a 1-3 loss to their countrymen from FlyQuest.
Concluding his video, the Australian veteran offered encouragement to those considering a career in gaming, provided they are willing to put in the necessary effort.
“So don’t let your parents tell you not to play video games anymore or your girlfriend or fiance or wife. I think there’s always a chance of a career in it,” dexter said. “But it’s all about how much you dedicate into the game, into your time and your work ethic.”
