Japanese Olympic Gymnast Racks Up $5,000 Bill Playing Pokemon Go


Olympic gymnast Kohei Uchimura's Pokemon Go addiction didn't just consume his time, it also drained his bank account as well. Last week, Uchimura was attending a pre-Olympics camp, where he used Pokemon Go on his downtime to try and fill his Pokedex. His teammates encourage him to download the game, and he soon became addicted with the viral augmented reality app.

Unfortunately, however, the gymnast wasn't aware that he was racking up a huge phone bill because of constant roaming data charges, which cost him $4,954 USD, USAToday reports.

"500,000 yen ($4,954)," Uchimura told Kyodo News on Tuesday. Kenz Shirai, his teammate, described Uchimura's mood at lunch after he learned about the charges, saying, "He looked dead at the team meal that day."

Thankfully, his phone carrier offered to reduce the rate to a flat $30 a day. He still has to spend a lot of money but that a relief after being charged almost $5000.

Read: Pokemon GO Creators Are Being Sued for 'Inciting Trespassing'

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