Whether it’s sports or esports, the integrity of the competition should always be a priority for the games that we love.
Last April, the Mobile Legends Development League (MDL) Philippines was rocked by a match fixing scandal that put developers MOONTON Games and the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) into action. After a week of thorough investigation, both MOONTON and PESO released their statements and sanctions to the involved parties.
In light of the gravity of the situation, the two organizations held a press conference last Sunday aiming to clarify the steps taken and what they’ll do moving forward. “There were a lot of talks about how severe these bans should be,” said PESO Executive Director Marlon Marcelo. “We understand that these athletes deserve another chance but we must be strict so that this doesn’t happen again.”
“We are here because we love esports but the honest truth is that this hurts the integrity of the entire industry,” said MOONTON Games Esports League Operations Lead Matthew Chan. “This is why we need the cooperation of everyone to fight against match fixing.”
An Ongoing Battle Within Esports
Going beyond the MDL, both PESO and MOONTON have committed to taking more proactive actions against match fixing. The two organizations are closely working with the Games and Amusements Board on how to properly tackle this problem. “This is a prevailing issue in the Philippines and the realization is that we also need to protect the teams and athletes from these bad actors,” said Marlon.
While esports has grown massively in recent years, the reality is that many who play professionally are still rather young. In the MDL’s case, a majority of its players are still underaged, making them targets for these illegal practices. Therefore, one of the actions PESO and MOONTON are planning to take is to provide better education for both players and teams about the dangers of match fixing.
“We really need to create a program to tell them how this can affect your entire career,” said Matthew. “This one moment of a lapse in judgment can follow you for the rest of your life. We need to show just how heavy this movement is.”
It’s an uncomfortable topic but as PESO and MOONTON have said, everyone has to work together to protect this industry.
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.
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