Match fixing raises its ugly head in South Korea eSports

The ugly head of match-fixing has made its first major appearance in the burgeoning eSports vertical, with South Korean police investigators reporting the arrests of nine individuals on fixing allegations in StarCraft 2 competitions.

The Korean eSports Association reports that the arrests included two prominent South Korean professional gamers, Choi Byeong-Heon and Choi Jong-Huk, and the head coach of Team Prime, Park Wae-Sik, aka “Gerrard”, who is alleged to have acted as middleman in the deals.

The trade association says that conviction will result in punitive penalties and life-time exclusions from the sport.

The allegations include a $27,000 “dive” by one player in four matches at the Proleague and GSL Code A and S levels.