South Korea eSports in shock following match fixing arrests

It has been revealed that a special investigation unit in South Korea has identified twelve people that are suspected of being heavily involved in a match-fixing ring within popular eSports title Starcraft 2.   

The official prosecutor’s report, which was translated and made available on Starcraft community site Team Liquid, nine suspects have been both indicted and arrested. These include two pro gamers and one head coach from Prime, a Starcraft 2 eSports team. Those involved are under investigation concerning five professional matches earlier in 2015, with offers to fix them ranging from $5000 (£3200) to $17,500 (£11,300).

A number of others involved have been either apprehended, indicted but not arrested. The director of the Korean eSports Association, Cho Man Soo, has distributed lifetime bans to the head coach of Prime, Gerrard (Park Wae-Sik), and pro gamer YoDa (Choi Byeong-Heon).

After hearing about the arrests, Cho Man Soo said: “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. 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.”

“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 eSports culture,” he continued.