Frequently Asked Questions
You have a tournament missing from the website, or the existing data needs a correction. What can I do to get it added?
You can register an account in the Development Area where you can fill out the tournament results or make the corrections yourself. Alternatively, you can submit a tip to the website with all the relevant information and credible sources, and someone may volunteer to fill it out for you. The accuracy of the website is only as good as the people willing to help out. Keep in mind: Reliable sources must be cited.
How does the website track earnings?
Earnings on this website are restricted to prize money because this information is always made public by the tournament or event organizer. Information on salaries, sponsorships, ad revenue, contracts, etc. are usually kept private, and thus is beyond the scope of this website. All information related to cash prizes awarded in tournaments are recorded in its original currency. Prize money rankings are listed in US dollars, and the cash prize for every tournament result is converted to US dollars using the exchange rate set on the day the tournament ended. This allows us to preserve data on the original prize money awarded, while allowing us to aggregate the data in a single, common currency.
As a player, what information do you have on me?
As a website based on freely available public information, all we record is what's available on the internet. The data we have on a player includes your real name, date of birth, country of origin, a biography if available, and of course, your tournament results and prize money earned. Unless you willingly talk about things in your personal life in an interview, such as at a livestreamed event or on a YouTube video, private things stay private. We will never post details of a private contract, unless its been vetted by a journalist and posted in an article to a credible esports news website. We want details of your competitive gaming career, not the skeletons in your closet.
As a player, my real name appeared on the site and I do not want it here. How can I get rid of it?
First of all, if you didn't want your real name appearing on the internet and associated with video game competitions, you shouldn't have competed in tournaments to begin with. The more you compete, the more you become known as a player to the public. Bear in mind that while your real name can be removed from this website, your name will still remain in videos, news articles, wiki pages and forum posts all across the internet. This website gets its information from these credible sources. That being said, you can request the removal of your name by submitting a tip. Your tournament results and accomplishments will not be removed, as that is now a part of esports history. Also note that because this website has several contributors adding and improving information everyday, there is a very real possibility that your real name may be added back in as a "good-faith" edit.
Why is tax and a team organization's cut of the prize money not included in the numbers?
A common misconception going around is that taxes are applied to the prize money itself. Tax rates and regulations will vary from country to country, but income from prize money cannot be taxed in and of itself; tax is applied to taxable income, that is the gross income from all revenue streams (prize money, salaries, ad revenue, other income) minus any applicable deductions (medical expenses, education, child care, flight/hotel costs, subscriptions needed to earn income, etc.). Tax rates may not be applied at a flat rate either, with the first few thousand dollars of your taxable income being taxed at a lower rate than the subsequent few thousand dollars, and increases as you move through each tax bracket. It's impossible for the public to know what tax deductions can be applied to a player, even when the same tax laws are applied, thus it is impossible to calculate tax on prize money, let alone their entire income.
An organization's cut of a player's prize money is dependent on what is written in their contract, making it impossible to know how much money is being taken by their organization. In many cases, the wording of the contract could use the phrase "may take" or "reserves the right to take", meaning the organization may or may not take a cut of a player's prize money for a given tournament. That's ultimately none of our business, and that's why we don't account for it. Besides, taxes or an organization taking a cut of a player's prize money doesn't change the fact that they won that money. What happens to that money after they win it is not only none of our business, but outside of the scope of the site.
I am interested in buying this website. Who do I get in touch with?
No one. Esports Earnings is not for sale.