In a move that seeks to improve the integrity of esports gaming, esports bookmaker Loot.Bet has announced its plan to formally partner with the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC). The partnership will strive to increase efforts against corruption in professional games, and Loot.Bet will provide internal data that will be crucial to the initiation and conduct of investigations.
“In reaching our goal which is to make esports as fair as possible, bookmakers play a crucial role since their internal data analysis makes it easier to recognize the signs of a rigged match," Ian Smith, the Commissioner of the ESIC, said via press release. "We’ve been working in cooperation with Loot.Bet for months by now, and the bookmaker proved their readiness for full collaboration and has already helped us in one of our investigations.”
Founded in 2016, the ESIC works as an independent global body that seeks to protect integrity in esports. The organization has already signed agreements with other esports operators, such as Rivalry. As esports grows in popularity, so too does the opportunity to corrupt the games within. ESIC states that its data shows a jump in betting alerts that could be connected to match-fixing from 2017 to 2018. The number of alerts nearly doubled, increasing from 39 to 74.
An example from August shows the type of work that the organization would focus on. Following an investigation from March, six professional CS:GO players were arrested in Australia for allegedly arranging to throw matches that they were participating in. They were also purported to be making wagers on the outcome.
Esports has seen continuous growth in participation and revenue. In 1998, the most competitive game was Starcraft and awarded a total of $7.8 million in competitive prize pools. That number pales when compared to esports today. Projections indicate that by 2022, annual prize money for esports will total $1.8 billion.
Others may not seek to rig matches, but simply cheat their way to the top. A controversial decision in the recent Fortnite World Cup Championship was to allow a known cheater to participate in the event that had a prize pool of $30 million.
The partnership between Loot.Bet and the ESIC is certainly a welcome one. If the groups are successful in their goals of maintaining integrity within the continually expanding esports scene, the fans stand to benefit the most.
Source: esportsinsider.com, igamingbusiness.com