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StarCraft II match-fixing scandal leads to arrests and lifetime bans in Korea
A major match-fixing and illegal betting scandal has swept through the professional StarCraft II scene in South Korea, with about a dozen individuals arrested in connection with the scheme, including esports team coaches, players, and financial backers.
According to Korean sources (translation via Team Liquid), some of the people arrested include Park “Gerrard” Wae-Sik, head coach of the esports team PRIME, as well as PRIME team members Choi “YoDa” Byeong-Heon and Choi “BBoongBBoong” Jong-Hyuk. An investigation by the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA) found that a total of five professional StarCraft II matches between January and June of this year were fixed as part of an illegal betting scheme.
“The association will pursue strong legal measures based on recent reports, and will be utterly uncompromising should investigators find any hint of connection,” KeSPA director Cho Man Soo said in a statement. “Going forward, the association’s stance toward illegal betting will continue to be one of zero-compromise, and we will continue to respond strongly to create a healthy e-Sports culture.”
The scandal has many fans worried about how the match-fixing scheme might impact the competitive StarCraft II scene in South Korea, as the game sequel has struggled to catch up to the astounding success of its predecessor.
The news has also affected other professional players, including StarCraft superstar Jang “MC” Min Chul, who had been close friends with YoDa for several years and had defended him when he first became the subject of match-fixing allegations.
“I believed him until the very end,” Min Chul wrote in a forum post (translation via Team Liquid). “What hurts most is that he betrayed and deceived his fellow gamers, and me, who thought of him as a younger brother. If it was some other crime, some accident, I would have tried to protect him. But for a pro-gamer to lose on purpose in a match, that’s the most shameful thing in the world.”
He added, “I want to say something to the people who arrange the match-fixing, the people who are thinking about it. A true gamer makes his money by winning. As a gamer, I’ve never had the slightest thought of losing on purpose.”
Photo by KRWonders
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