Chinese Esports Teams Newbee and Others Banned for Dota 2 Match Fixing

Chinese Esports Teams Banned for Dota 2 Match Fixing Scandal

In response to undeniable signs of foul play during a competitive match, developer Valve Corporation has banned two prestigious Chinese esports teams and their members from all future Dota 2 events organized by the company.

A post published on Weibo, China's microblogging platform, by Dota 2 highlights this severe punitive action. The announcement named five players alongside their aliases: Moogy, AQ, Wizard, Wxi, and Fth, as well as the team Newbee. The team was once lauded for winning global accolades in competitive Dota 2, including a monumental $5 million prize at the International tournament in 2014.

The scandal involves apparent match fixing during a confrontation between Newbee and another Chinese team named Avengerls. In one of their encounters, there were obvious indications of cheating from both sides. Newbee's performance was notably inconsistent, even losing when it should have been dominating agnst the underdog Avengerls.

On February 2020, following this incident, China's Dota 2 Professional Association an organization comprised of eight domestic teams and several local broadcasters banned Newbee for life from participating in any Dota 2 competitions held by Valve Corporation, as well as other Chinese tournaments.

Newbee expressed its disdn on Weibo agnst the ban by accusing the league of damaging their reputation and threatened legal action with a signed letter from a lawyer. However, without an official ruling from Valve Corporation - which also oversees Steam, one of the popular gaming platforms - Newbee could still have potentially continued competing in The International tournament.

But after this week's announcement, Avengerls was also given life-long ban as well.

Match fixing has been a persistent problem within both traditional sports and esports worldwide. In 2010, for instance, eleven South Korean StarCraft players were fined and ordered community service for cheating over multiple years.

Dota 2 match making is increasingly rampant due to the vast betting market that exists online on various outcomes of games including final result, first goal scorer, total errors, etc., according to a podcast released by an Australian Dota 2 tournament organizer and commentator in October.

David Parker clms that 75 of Southeast Asian teams are suspected to be involved in match fixing. He argues that cheating occurs mostly at the individual level with players being tasked to intentionally lose the 'first blood' - an event used as a betting factor.

The competition structure of Dota 2 may also exacerbate issues, according to Shangh-based esports professional named Chu who wishes to remn anonymous due to gambling's sensitive nature in China.

The lack of league structure impacts teams heavily, he says. In other leagues like League of Legs, there is a steady income for performing poorly which mitigates agnst fixing matches.

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References:

https:www.sixthtone.comennews2021-01-05chinese-esports-teams-banned-over-dota-2-match-fixing

Image Credit: Moogy playing for Newbee during a Dota 2 tournament, February 2020. From @Newbee电子竞技俱乐部 on Weibo
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