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Traditional sports are plagued by all kinds of controversies – doping, personal player scandals and match fixing cause outrage, but are expected. It appears that eSports is reaching that point, too, as a match fixing scandal was revealed at the highest levels of play. Unfortunately, it also led a player to try to take his own life.
“When we first made the team,” Min-Ki explained (post translated and tidied up on Reddit), “we were told that AHQ sponsored us with cash and computers. We didn’t know they only gave us gaming gear for rights to the team name. Our manager Noh had lied to us, and took out a loan to pay for our housing, living expenses, computers, and even our salaries.
“He was planning on placing illegal bets on eSports games and fixing them to win back the borrowed money and make a profit.”
Dae Chul reportedly told Min-Ki and one other that if they didn’t lose against certain teams, South Korean eSports television channel OnGameNet – organisers of the largest LoL tournament in South Korea – would ban them from future competitions.
Min-Ki said he believed Dae Chul and so the match-throwing began. It went on until Min-Ki could take it no longer and confided in the rest of the team. Together, they apparently confronted Dae Chul, who tried to coax the team into one last hurrah, betting against themselves on a match they’d presumably otherwise easily win, after which they’d get out. They refused.
Dae Chul started clearing the house the team lived and trained in, selling their practice computers.
“Thanks to these events my professional career was over. After practising to my best for a year, all I had left was a feeling of emptiness,” wrote Min-Ki.
As an accomplice to illegal match fixing, he potentially faces prosecution.
The Korean arm of League of Legends developer Riot Games is, along with the local police, investigating the matter.
I’ve contacted the local UK arm of Riot Games for a statement.
Agencies/Canadajournal
