Lee “SunBhie” Jeong-jae, coach of Talon Esports, recently spoke out strongly against match-fixing in Dota 2’s Eastern European region, calling for indisputable lifetime bans on anyone involved in such activities. This comes after the second significant match-fixing scandal this year, following the ban of over 40 Chinese Dota 2 players due to the first set of allegations.
SunBhie’s statement was met with some sympathy from community members, who argued that match-fixers had no alternative income due to the unjust prize pool distribution within Dota 2’s Pro Circuit and Major tournaments. However, SunBhie was quick to point out that match-fixing in any sport is a severe crime that requires fitting punishment.
The lack of prize pool distribution within Dota 2 has been a problem since its inception, and it’s clear that players who are one or two steps short of glory often don’t make enough money to sustain a career in professional gaming. This may increase the temptation to 322, but SunBhie believes that it’s important to maintain the competitive integrity of the game and to protect fans from being ripped off from their chance to spectate a genuine match.
If professional gaming doesn’t pay the bills, SunBhie suggests that it might be time to move onto something else rather than risk punishment by throwing games. He believes that the only way to protect the game’s integrity is to impose indisputable lifetime bans on anyone involved in match-fixing.