Match fixing allegations percolate through to eSports
The growing financial clout and spectator appeal of eSports has brought many benefits to the games industry but one less positive side effect is the first suspected case of match fixing in the sector.
Tennis and cricket are just two sports that have been affected by different scandals in recent months and now eSports joins them in the hall of shame following a move by competition sponsor Valve to permanently ban 21 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players for throwing games last year in exchange for high value in-game items.
The world of eSports is still reeling from the high profile investigation into professional Starcraft player Lee ‘Life’ Seung Hyun, for alleged match fixing – a move which has sent shockwaves through the community as ‘Life’ is regarded as one of the world’s top players.
eSports figurehead Paul “ReDeYe” Chaloner, commented: “I think the main issue it raises is that we aren’t in a position to have consistency across games or even across tournaments because we don’t have an over-arching federation or association that agrees the rules and the punishments. Right now though, I do think the publishers should take a greater role in this and for the most part they are.”