TL;DR
- Dragon Gate Team removed from LMS following extensive match-fixing investigation
- Team owner permanently banned while players received 12-18 month competitive suspensions
- Whistleblower testimony revealed systematic betting against their own underdog team
- Scandal represents one of highest-profile esports integrity breaches in recent years
- Incident highlights ongoing match-fixing challenges across multiple gaming titles
Dragon Gate Team’s competitive future collapsed following explosive match-fixing allegations that rocked the League of Legends community.
The Hong Kong-based professional gaming organization faced immediate expulsion from its regional league after the LMS governing body confirmed systematic match manipulation during the 2019 Spring Split.
League officials initiated a comprehensive investigation after receiving credible reports indicating the team deliberately engineered losses. The inquiry uncovered compelling evidence that Dragon Gate Team implemented strategies specifically designed to guarantee defeat in scheduled matches.
Upon concluding their internal review, the LMS promptly shared detailed findings with Riot Games, the developer responsible for League of Legends and its competitive ecosystem.
The disciplinary measures imposed reflect the severity of the integrity breach uncovered during the investigation.
Team proprietor Wijie Hu received a permanent worldwide prohibition from owning any League of Legends competitive teams, effectively ending his involvement in professional esports management.
Professional consequences extended to jungler Liu “JGY” Yang, who accepted an 18-month competitive ban preventing his participation across four seasonal splits.
Coaching staff members faced significant sanctions as well, with Dragon Gate Team coach Fan “yoga” Jiang-Peng and former coach Li “xiaoyu” Xin-Yu both receiving 12-month suspensions from competitive activities.
The exact number of compromised matches remains uncertain, though the team’s removal reduced the LMS competitive field to seven active organizations.
League officials indicated they would likely utilize their established relegation framework to promote a replacement squad from the Elite Challenger Series, maintaining competitive balance within the region.
Top laner Huang “2188” Jin-Long courageously disclosed the manipulation scheme through a detailed Facebook post, revealing how he and teammate Liu “Soul” Kai reported the misconduct to league authorities.
“Management created a fabricated family emergency narrative to explain Soul’s unexpected exclusion from our March 27 match against Alpha Esports,” 2188 explained. “When Soul continued normal training routines despite the supposed crisis, I confronted him directly about the inconsistency.”
The player then disclosed the shocking reality: team management had approached him on March 26 with a match-fixing proposition, offering 5,000 RMB per intentionally lost game in collaboration with JGY.
2188 immediately rejected participation in the scheme, forcing management to secure an alternative player for the compromised match.
Though the substitute competitor likely remained unaware of the manipulation, Dragon Gate Team proceeded to lose the contest as orchestrated.
The investigation further revealed team owner Hu maintained multiple betting accounts, enabling him to place wagers against his own organization across multiple platforms.
This sophisticated betting strategy generated substantial financial returns when Dragon Gate Team lost matches, particularly effective given the squad’s frequent underdog status where victory would have yielded minimal betting returns.
While 2188 and Soul couldn’t determine the scheme’s full duration, evidence suggested JGY had engaged in match manipulation repeatedly over an extended period.
Notably, no additional Dragon Gate Team members beyond JGY faced competitive sanctions following the investigation.
Match manipulation represents one of the most persistent and damaging threats to competitive gaming’s credibility throughout esports history.
The most notorious precedent occurred in 2010 when South Korean authorities prosecuted eleven professional StarCraft competitors, resulting in criminal convictions for match-fixing activities.
These integrity challenges have continued affecting multiple gaming titles beyond their original contexts, with documented incidents occurring in Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and other major competitive ecosystems.
This particular incident stands out due to its occurrence within one of League of Legends’ most established regional circuits, marking one of the most significant competitive integrity violations in recent professional gaming.
The Dragon Gate Team case demonstrates how even prominent organizations remain vulnerable to manipulation schemes, highlighting the critical need for robust monitoring systems and whistleblower protections across all levels of competitive play.
Action Checklist
- Implement anonymous reporting systems for players and staff
- Establish regular integrity training for all competitive participants
- Create transparent investigation protocols for match-fixing allegations
- Develop betting pattern monitoring systems for unusual activity detection
- Establish clear whistleblower protection policies
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