ESIC reveal cheating survey results
News on 25 Jul 2017
News on 25 Jul 2017
The eSports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) has released the results of a comprehensive survey it undertook with 7500 respondents from within the eSports fraternity to ascertain and develop appropriate sanctions for cheating in the burgeoning sport.
Most concerning, the ESIC said was that a “very significant number” of respondents felt that lifetime bans, handed out in the IBP and other historic match-fixing cases, were too harsh.
It’s a concerning attitude, the ESIC contends, saying corruption in any form will eventually kill any form of sport.
The ESIC will embark on a community education drive to try and persuade current perceptions to change. “We will do our best to inform the community about the very real and serious threat to esports posed by betting fraud and match manipulation.”
Key points from the survey and proposed future sanctions can be accessed here: http://www.esportsintegrity.com/2017/07/24/esic-statement-on-appropriate-sanction-for-cheating-in-esports/
The ESIC’s positioning paper on cheating, published in April 2017, can be accessed here: http://www.esportsintegrity.com/2017/04/03/esports-cheating-esic-position-paper/
“There is, of course, a great deal more that could be said about these survey results, but finding out what the community thinks has been a fascinating and revealing exercise and I respect their opinions. They are, after all, the lifeblood of esports and we must pay heed to their views,” Ian Smith, Integrity Commissioner for the Esports Integrity Coalition, said.
“Having said that and having lived through the match-fixing scandals that affected traditional sports, I am troubled by what the survey reveals about the community’s understanding of and attitude towards match-fixing. The relationship between esports and gambling is new and still forming; but it is growing very rapidly and, when fans no longer believe what they’re watching is real, they will turn to other forms of entertainment.
“Match-fixing can have that effect – it can kill a sport and the community needs to understand that and realise that match-fixing is far more of a threat to their passion in the long term than cheating to win.”
