At least twelve individuals have been indicted as a result of gambling and match-fixing in the StarCraft 2 eSports professional scene, the director of the Korean eSports Association (KeSPA) has announced.
Three of the twelve indicted have been identified as members of the Korean professional team Prime, including two players, YoDa and BBoongBBoong, and the team’s coach, Gerrard. As a result, the players and coach were arrested by police and received lifetime bans from the KeSPA yesterday.
According to a source, it has been confirmed that five matches were fixed between January and June of this year. The other individuals indicted include brokers, financial backers, and recruiters. At least nine of the indicted have been arrested.
This information comes approximately 5 years after the previous StarCraft 2 match-fixing scandal. In 2010, 11 professional StarCraft 2 players were banned and punished by the KeSPA. StarCraft 2 has not been the only game in which the KeSPA has found match-fixing. Just last year, it was discovered that a top League of Legends player and his manager had thrown matches with intentions for financial gain.
Along with the announcements, KeSPA has stated that they will also “pursue strong legal measures” against those found to be involved, as they would like to establish a “zero-compromise” stance against illegal betting with the eSports community.
