EPT
KeSPA on Matchfixing
TeamLiquid was fortunate to secure an interview with KeSPA concerning the recent concerns over match fixing within Starcraft 2. During the most recent episode of "The Late Game", Wolf gave some insight as to how thorough of an investigation was conducted into the suspicious MarineKing game. The investigation included searching MarineKing's phone and computer for any evidence for conspiring to match fix. The investigation did not turn up any evidence to suggest that MarineKing was involved in any match fixing.
The questions chosen were decided by TeamLiquid staff and members of the community particularly involved in the match fixing discussions on TeamLiquid. Man Soo Cho, Secretary General of KeSPA, answered our questions on behalf of the organization. Special thanks to Chuddinater for facilitating the interview.
Man Soo Cho
There are many rumors of match fixing and illegal betting in Korea for multiple games. There are people who even believe that it is an open secret, especially since there is a precedent for it (the saviOr match fixing scandal). How long has KeSPA been aware of these illegal activities, and what has KeSPA been doing about it?
We are aware that there will always be individual that are interested in fixing matches in all sports. We continuously monitor sites and have created a clean e-Sports campaign to help combat illegal betting in Korea. We have set up a site for community members to give us information regarding illegal betting sites, as well as created a reward system for community members that give KeSPA information that leads to closer of an illegal betting site. You can find more information or send information to us at KeSPA’s official site http://e-sports.or.kr/clean/clean_intro.php.
Several community members have come out, claiming that they've received offers to fix matches. MMA and Solar both received offers to fix matches in the past, which they refused. Olivia Wong (Axiom Manager) and Mal (translator and tournament organizer) were contacted by sponsors that may be involved. Have other players or teams approached KeSPA regarding these offers? What has KeSPA been doing about these reports?
We are aware that players have been approached by match fixers and are working with teams to monitor contact between players and unknown individuals over social media and other outlets. Also, Olivia Wong’s statement about certain tournament sponsors being involved in online betting is a major reason KeSPA is very cautious in allowing players to participate in online tournaments. We need to make sure online tournaments have transparent sponsors that we can trust as well as make sure only an official observer, that has no affiliation with sponsors or betting sites, can watch the matches without stream delays. People may believe KeSPA is too strict with what online tournaments we will allow our players to participate in, however there are many risks that we want to protect our players and teams from when participating in unaffiliated online tournaments.
The most scrutinized game so far is MarineKing vs ByuL due to the voided bets and the nature of the game. Team MVP has made a statement claiming that the loss was not a thrown game. However, the VOD alone has given the community a reason to doubt that conclusion. MarineKing clearly saw a dot on his mini map. Did he go there using his POV? What was MarineKing doing during the time the creep/spinecrawler was visible on the mini map? Is there any reason for MarineKing not to check his mini map? Did MarineKing do anything out of the ordinary during the rush? Please walk us through your analysis of the replay.
That was one of the matches we believed was suspicious and we thoroughly investigated Marineking. We cannot reveal everything to the community, however what we can answer is that members of our match fixing committee reviewed the replays and concluded that the game was suspicious enough to open an investigation. We concluded that even though the match was suspicious there was no evidence that points to Marineking purposely throwing the match.
Do you have a panel of judges or referees that analyzes the games suspected of match fixing? What details do they specifically look for? What is their process for identifying suspicious actions in-game? What type of evidence do they look for? Did all the suspected matches receive this treatment?
KeSPA has a match fixing committee that is comprised of experts in the field and KeSPA representatives that review matches that are under suspicion. We do not want to release exactly what our committee looks for when reviewing cases as we do not want to let match fixers know what to avoid.
Is KeSPA willing to allow a small, independent panel of players and community members to analyze the replays (which will not be shared) of games suspected of match fixing? Why or why not?
If there is a member in the community that can specialist on this matter we are more than welcome to have them contact us.
What punishment would KeSPA issue if a player were found to be match fixing? Short of a direct confession, what kind of proof would be required to condemn a player? Have you taken steps towards monitoring that evidence?
If a player is found guilty of match fixing there are two punishments that we will hand down to the player. First we will ban that player and insure that the player will never be able to play professionally ever again. Second, we will work with the police and prosecutors to punish the player and all parties involved to the fullest extent of the law.
It took KeSPA a really long time before they agreed to release a statement regarding this issue. Some in the community believed that KeSPA had adopted an "ignorance is bliss" attitude because of the delay. Why did it take so long for KeSPA to make a statement, and does KeSPA plan on making more transparent statements in the future?
KeSPA does not respond to rumors and only will release facts. We took our time to collect evidence and look at every angle of the situation so we would be able to give a more knowledgeable statement. As the governing agency of e-Sports in Korea we do not make knee jerk reactions in response and needed time to make sure we had all the facts before we could proceed.
The community is very worried regarding the state of esports in Korea due to illegal gambling. Do you have any last words regarding this issue?
Match fixing is an ongoing issue in all professional sports and as more money is involved more people will be interested in fixing matches. We are actively finding ways to prevent match fixing and educating players on the issue. We continue to monitor the situation and welcome the community to give us their input. We thank you all for having such a large interest in Korean StarCraft II and hope you will continue to support our teams and tournaments.
In addition to the previous questions, TeamLiquid inquired about the role (if any) Pinnacle is playing in any investigations. KeSPA declined to comment on questions relating to this.
. And believe me, I'm just waiting to be convinced, basically.
