What do you know about the world of eSports? Definitely, if you are a computer games fan, you have probably heard such titles as LOL, Starcraft, SC:GO, and others. Today cybersport is officially acknowledged as one of the sports types and is hugely rewarding for the teams that participate in different world-famous huge competitions and championships.
However, team members are not the only ones being paid. Many bettors around the world who enjoy watching their performances prefer to bet on various outcomes for real money. It is not as easy as it may sound. All these games are shooters and strategies that require deep analysis of the situation and calculations. So, making a bet is the easiest part of the whole process. If you have no time sitting in front of your laptop, check out how you can get an iOS-friendly 1xBet app download and login. It is more comfortable to plan your betting sessions.
But let’s talk more about the specifics of the eSports industry and how some of the teams were caught cheating. So, in the article, you will be learning about the loudest scandals that happened in the industry and learn some tips from professionals on how to place a victorious bet.
Top 7 Huge Scandals in the eSports World
The eSports section on any Kenyan bookmaker’s website can compete with soccer for the attention of bettors. In our digital world, this type of activity, called cybersport, is one of the most innovative and rapidly growing spheres. But if you thought that doping scandals and cheating are the realities of classic sports competitions, you are so very wrong.
Due to the relatively long existence of eSports, some players learned many tricks on how they can cheat. Sometimes, the reasons for that can be different. You can learn more as you read a detailed description of each case.
Coach Violence
It is not a secret that League of Legends, or LOL, is extremely popular in the Asian market. Therefore, the majority of scandals happen with teams from Korea, China, and other Asian countries.
There were cases when a team member faced a lifetime ban. This time, a Korean team called Griffin, which was one of the strongest and most promising teams, was beginning its rise by forming a team in 2017 with one of the strongest coaches, cvMax, ahead.
Together, they were striving to dominate in LCK in 2018 and the next year. Griffin was one of those unique teams who had an unforgettable style of fighting that allowed them to defeat their enemies who had no time to adapt on the field easily. The team was one of the favorites to win the World Cup in 2019.
However, then cvMax suddenly left the team. Fans were in shock because, without his coaching, the team was very unlikely to win the next championship. There were rumors that the coach applied verbal and physical violence towards the team members. After cvMax heard about that in the interview given by one of the Griffin members, he answered that it was a total lie and he could tell some other engaging “stories” that happened behind closed doors.
After Riot made their private investigation, the team members were fined, and the coach and their director were banned from the league because it turned out that they were trying to sign up another contract that exceeded the number of allowed contracts by Riot rules. It was one of the most resounding scandals in the LOL world.
Lifetime Ban from Starcraft 2
However, let’s move on to another interesting case connected with betting. It also happened with one of the Korean players who was participating in Starcraft 2 championships and was pretty famous and even considered a young prodigy by the age of 16. This young man called Lee, aka “Life,” started his career in cybersport at the age of 14. His list of awards is very long, and one of his achievements was 2 victories in the Triple Crown Starcraft 2 championship.
Unexpectedly, in 2016, Life was arrested due to a match-fixing scandal that also involved some other Starcraft 2 players. So, all the players who were aware of this agreement of deliberate loss can never again take part in the competition. So, even if a player is talented, he can still be vulnerable and wish to receive more profit. In this case, all these players turn out to be greedy.
iBUYPOWER CS:GO Fraud
The types of cheating can vary. So, one of such match-fixing plans was revealed by one of the journalists. It became one of the biggest scandals in the eSports industry. It happened in 2015 when one of the strongest and most noticeable CS:GO teams, iBUYPOWER, was competing against the NetCodeGuides team. The situation, however, did not end as they had planned.
Being an absolute leader, the iBUYPOWER team’s performance was surprisingly bad. They missed every shot and attack. The NetCodeGuides team was considered a much weaker one. However, it managed to win that time. Fans were very disappointed and shocked because nobody expected such a turn of events.
After the investigation, the results showed that it was a match-fixing strategy. Several members of the iBUYPOWER team placed bets against their own team. Thus, after the investigation was accomplished, the four members were banned by Valve.
CS:GO Drug Scandal
What about a bit of doping? Yes, it can take place in cybersports or taken because now every team passes necessary drug tests to eliminate any doping. However, it was different in 2015 when this incident took place. It is worth mentioning that this was revealed by pure accident when one of the CS:GO team members, Cloud9, said that all of his teammates were on Adderall during the competitions.
The case confirmed that extra help with a couple of pills can be in every sport. It requires thorough regulation and checking to avoid such cheating in the future. Now, this league has implemented regular testing procedures.
Echo Fox Scandal
One of the former NBA stars, Rick Fox, together with his business partner Amit Raizada, bought a League of Legends team, Gravity Gaming. The team was renamed Echo Fox and successfully existed for the next four years. However, later, both business partners accused each other of fraud and incompetence, leading their cooperation to full failure.
Unfortunate CS:GO 2 Championship
This is the story of a promising cybersport tournament that was going to be one of the best but turned out to be the worst ever. It happened in 2015 in Slovenia at Gaming Paradise. It all started when the first participants came; their shuttle buses were late, the hotel rooms were smaller than promised, and all PCs that were transferred for the event were stolen in transit. Besides, the hotel rooms were not paid for. Moreover, the French team even couldn’t get their passports, which were held by the hotel staff.
Scandalous Star Appearances and Reputation Damages
Since 2015, the number of situations connected with fraud and cheating significantly decreased. However, another wave of scandals still took place in 2022. They all happened with very famous CS:GO, Dota, and other teams.
One of the latest resounding events happened with the SEO of the G2 team, Carlos Rodríguez Santiagos, who was fired. The team was celebrating their entrance to the world championship. Some attentive viewers noticed an ex-kickboxer star, Andrew Tate, who is famous for scandals and is a sexist and misogynist. This influenced the team’s reputation, so later, the club became clear about this situation and reported that the actions of their CEO had nothing in common with the real values of the team.
Another reputational scandal happened with DOTA 2 players. One of the members, K1, was accused of racism towards the Febby player. However, here, the Peruvian organization got involved and apologized together with K1, so there were no serious sanctions and bans for the team afterward.
Who Regulates Rules Abidance in eSports Competitions?
There is no one common commission that observes that rules are followed. However, there are various associations that can check if the team qualifies for the competition and observe that everything is going in accordance with the rules of the tournament. So, players who violate these rules and cheat face bans, fines, and other limitations.
Even though associations try to provide an atmosphere of fairness, some cheating can be detected only after the competitions, as you might understand from the previously described cases of fraud. Albeit all these scandals are forever in the history of cyber sports, not all of them were connected with cheating and match fixings. Now, reputation means everything and some household arguments inside the team can significantly influence their support and sponsorship.
Tips for eSports Betting from Pros
Many experts who have been placing stakes in cyber sporting events know how to make a profit, even the not-so-fortunate bets. Not many players know, but by wagering through the app, they have access to all the options provided by any bookmaker. So, you can read all about the iOS-friendly 1xBet app download and login in the separate article to bet with more convenience. Next, let’s look at some useful tips on how you can prepare to make a successful prediction.
Know Your Game
First of all, if you are a viewer of such battles, you better know the specifics, rules and all the tricks a game can offer a player. Therefore, with such deep knowledge, it is easier to plan and make predictions. The plot of every game is directly related to the markets offered by bookmakers.
Observe the Betting Markets
Since every game has some differences, it is only natural that each of them has some exclusive and unique betting markets. To place predictions with them you should understand what they mean and what is the most beneficial way to place such a prediction. For instance, LOL has towers for each team that are one of the targets to be destroyed. So, you can bet on the first tower to fall on the market here.
Check Players Records
The shape and previous performances of team members play one of the key roles in betting. Here, you can do some research and analyze the situation that can occur at the upcoming match. See how these players did at local competitions and what their mistakes were. Also, do not forget to pay attention to the atmosphere inside the team and the relationship among them by following the news and reading other fans’ comments.
Conclusion
Summing up all the information that was shared in the article, you can make up your own understanding of the cybersports world and be ready for surprises such as cheating. For instance, match-fixing can become a huge obstacle to successful betting. If you make a thorough market analysis and build your successful prediction in Kenya, be prepared that there may be another scheme of how to trick the system and make your bet lose as a consequence. Use free tips and we wish you best of luck in your eSport betting.