Professional chess player and streamer GM Hikaru Nakamura revealed he turned down a massive amount of money to broadcast gambling content.
GM Hikaru shocked the streaming and chess worlds in 2023 when he signed to Kick in an unexpected announcement.
In the time since then, Hikaru sparked some controversy for promoting gambling streams and was accused of “exploiting” an underage audience.
While Nakamura was dismissive of these concerns, saying that viewers who don’t like gambling content should just skip the casino broadcasts and wait for him to play chess, he has since had a change of heart.
During a stream on Twitch, the chess icon revealed that he received a big offer to continue streaming gambling content, but turned it down.
“There’s a fine line between bags and doing things that you don’t really enjoy. A lot of people made a big deal about gamba and stuff like that, and I did it for a brief period. I don’t really begrudge anybody who does it, but it’s not something I really intend to do,” he said.
According to Hikaru, he was given an opportunity to “make a lot of money every month” and kept emphasizing that it was “a lot.”
However, he decided to reject the lucrative offer, noting that gambling wasn’t something he really enjoyed. He reiterated that there are “lines” between getting paid to do something you don’t like and sticking with what you love: in this case, chess.
Fans have been impressed with Hikaru’s decision, with one calling it a “great thing.”
“Hikaru putting his morals and reputation first instead of what is probably bucket loads of money? Man, even I can’t hate on that, much respect,” another praised.
This revelation shouldn’t be exactly surprising, however. The grandmaster’s rise in the world of streaming has been so massive that Hikaru has even said continuing with his Twitch content is more important than becoming Chess World Champion.