Organised crime has been linked to StarCraft 2 match fixing schemes investigated by Korean authorities.
Team Liquid reports 12 people have been arrested for eSports fixing three of the 12 arrested were involved as players or coaches. The Korean eSports Association plans to hand down lilfetime bans.
"Since 2010, the association has worked alongside the rest of the industry to fight against the illegal betting that has continued to threaten the foundation of eSports," KeSPA director Cho Man Soo said in a statement translated by Team Liquid. "It is extremely regrettable that a related incident has occurred again, and we apologize to all of the fans who have shown eSports their love and support."
One of the backers was found to have fixed five matches and bet on them through illegal websites for winnings of about $37,000. BBoongBBoong threw one match for about $4,500, while YoDa made roughly $26,500 from throwing two matches, and was blackmailed into fixing two more for free.
A total of five professional StarCraft 2 matches were found to have been fixed according to the investigation. Four were played by YoDa, and one was played by BBoongBBoong. The matches took place in GSL and Proleague matches between January and June of this year.
The official investigation did not disclose full details on the matches. However, TeamLiquid users have been able to determine or narrow down the range of suspicious matches based on the given information:
