An Australian Overwatch team is being investigated over suspicions of match fixing. The investigation is part of a larger inquiry into esports crime in the region, with several Australian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players being served with warrants over match fixing too.
Speaking to ABC, Neil Paterson, the assistant commissioner of the Victoria Police said that the department's Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit was investigating "organised crime links to the ownership" of an Australian team that players in the Overwatch Contenders league. Paterson and ABC didn't reveal which Overwatch Contenders team has been implicated in the scandal and there are eight potential teams that police could be looking into. However, the publication says that "Betting anomalies have been reported on matches involving that team."
Paterson also suggested that there could be more scandals to come. "I could absolutely guarantee that this wouldn't be the only [alleged] incidence of match fixing or betting anomalies on esports environments in the Australian market," said the Victoria Police commissioner. The commissioner also said that the motivation for these crimes is just about "greed and money."
The investigation into esports corruption by Victoria Police is one of the first of its kind in the region, but it does confirm that there is growing concern about fairness and corruptibility in esports. There are millions of dollars of prize money to be won in games like CS:GO, Overwatch, League of Legends, and Dota 2, which means that there is more of an impetus for people to bet on competitions. However, with so much money being bet, it also means that people are more likely to act corrupt to swing things in their favor.
It's also not just about match fixing. An NBA 2K League player was fired for violating the association's rules on gambling. While the accused player isn't believed to have taken part in match fixing, the league said that he had passed information to those who are in the esports betting world. It seems that getting to play 2K all day and get paid for it wasn't enough to stick by the rules.
Fans will be hoping that something can be done to address corruption in esports and make it so that police investigations don't have to be done after the fact. Part of the fun of watching an esports tournament is seeing the underdog win but when games are being thrown to make money for bettors, it takes the entertainment out of the sport.
Source: ABC