This 31-year-old pro Madden player earned more than $314,000, which led to his retirement.

At the age of 14, Raidel Brito's mother confronted him about his involvement in drug dealing.

In 2007, she received hundreds of dollars in checks without any explanation, leading her to suspect that her son was involved in illegal activities.

When she inquired about the source of the money, Brito surprised her with an unexpected response: he was earning it through playing the widely-played football video game Madden.

He told CNBC Make It, "I had to explain to her, 'No, I'm playing a video game and I'm really good.'"

At 14 years old, Brito, who went by the alias "Joke," used his mom's credit card to load $25 onto an account on GamerSaloon, a website where he could bet on his matches against other Madden players. He was so skilled that he turned his initial deposit into a balance worth "a few thousand dollars."

Since he was not yet an adult, he had created the account under his mother's name. As a result, when he attempted to withdraw funds, checks were sent to her, causing temporary alarm.

""She was initially skeptical, but once she realized I wasn't selling drugs, she became very supportive," he said."

Brito's success as a competitive player in the game's history was due to her support and willingness to allow him to practice and compete for extended periods.

Getting to the top of the game

For several years, Brito operated a small business. He spent most of his time playing opponents online in low-stakes games, wagering $50 or $100 per game. On weekends, he would occasionally ask his older brother to drive him to tournaments in New Jersey, where he aimed to win the $1,000 grand prize.

"He stated that he bought his own Nextel phone because he had enough money for school, snacks, and other expenses."

Brito was able to participate in larger tournaments with greater rewards after high school. He estimates that he spent between eight to 12 hours daily playing and practicing.

"He stated that his life revolved around Madden, spending most of his time playing the game or engaging in basketball with his real friends or chatting with his Madden friends while watching them play."

After obtaining a job as a loss prevention supervisor at a company selling high-end clothing brands, Brito found the 12-hour shifts and low pay to be less than desirable. In 2017, when Electronic Arts announced the first official Madden NFL Club Championship, Brito decided to leave his job and pursue competitive gaming full-time.

Brito estimates that he made approximately $60,000 in his first year playing Madden, through tournament winnings, online play, and a $1,000 per month sponsorship deal he secured with an eSports team.

He said, "That was twice my salary at my real job, so I decided to do this instead."

With his career earnings of $314,525, including the $65,000 grand prize at the first Madden Bowl championship in 2020, he became one of the top-10 highest-earning Madden pros ever.

Brito earned $5,000 per month from team XSET at his peak, in addition to the money he received from other lucrative eSports sponsorships.

He ran a training website from 2020 to 2023 that sold Madden tutorials, generating an estimated annual income of $100,000. However, CNBC Make It could not verify these figures independently.

Despite Brito's estimation that Madden helped him earn more than $1 million, he eventually decided to leave his favorite game.

Hanging up his controller

As eSports gained popularity and top-level competition intensified, Brito found the demands on his limited time to be increasingly burdensome while he was at the top.

"Initially, I enjoyed playing Madden. I was passionate about it and felt like I was doing something I loved. However, as time went on, it became more challenging. I no longer enjoyed the game because it turned into a job and I had to maintain a certain level to earn money."

Brito's responsibilities went beyond playing the game as he now ran his website, which required him to spend his free time making videos teaching others how to play it. Additionally, his sponsor responsibilities meant that he spent his time posing on social media and doing Twitch streams for his team when he wasn't competing or working on his site.

""As my responsibilities in Madden increased with my earnings, I found the game less enjoyable," he stated."

In his late 20s, he struggled to spend the required eight-plus hours each day practicing to have a chance against teenage opponents at competitions, which ultimately ended his competitive Madden career.

He recalls the final match he lost, characterizing his performance as "wretched."

He said, "I recall losing that game and thinking, 'I'm no longer as skilled as these individuals, and I don't have enough time to devote to the game to become one of the top players globally,'"

Despite being upset about moving on, Brito was ready to quit the game in 2023 and focus on his next venture, a subscription sports betting platform called Beat the Books.

He claims that he can now earn more than he did as a player while also enjoying a higher standard of living.

Brito, who retired from Madden, hasn't returned to video games since then. He recently gave his PlayStation 5 to his nephew and his Xbox One to his best friend.

After retiring, he never turned on any of his systems again, as he stated.

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