Two Australians allegedly illegally influenced matches in the Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL), according to police – they will stand trial in September.
In Australia, two men have been charged with match fixing in the Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL). Police accuse the two 25-year-olds of arranging and rigging several matches.
The official Victoria Police press release says: Investigators from the Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit (SIIU) have summoned and charged “two men in connection with an investigation into suspicious betting activity at an eSports league”.
The investigation began after police received “information from a betting agency about activity regarding a number of games in the League of Legends Pro League on 8 June last year”.
“Significant offences with heavy penalties “
The two men were charged with two separate offences. In one case for “the offence of using information about corrupt behaviour for betting purposes”. The second accused, on the other hand, is charged with “influencing the outcome of betting on an event”.
Criminal Commissioner Wayne Woltsche reports in the police statement further: The increasing popularity of eSports entails an increase “in the number of those who try to exploit the systems for their own benefit”.
The Victoria Police Department, which specialises in sporting integrity, has investigated and uncovered several eSports betting scandals in the past. These included the arrest and indictment of professional Counter-Strike players in 2019 and 2020.
Woltsche reiterates that this remains “an area of focus” for the unit, stressing, “It is important that people understand that these are significant offences with high penalties. These charges show that we take all reports of suspicious activity seriously.”
The accused have been summoned to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 26 September. Up to ten years imprisonment could be handed down as sentences for both men.
