- The Wind and Rain and Pecado Squad Gaming Dota 2 teams have been accused of match-fixing
- As a punishment, the two are now disqualified from participating in DPC North America and all Valve or BTS-sponsored events
- It’s unclear whether the ban will cover the teams’ inactive players
A match-fixing investigation has found Wind and Rain and Pecado Squad Gaming guilty, resulting in their fall from grace.
The Teams’ Wrongdoings
In the wake of the DPC 2021 Season 2 regional leagues, Wind and Rain and Pecado Squad Gaming have been found guilty of match-fixing.
It started with some suspicious statistics on betting sites which led some fans to believe the teams were taking part in match-fixing. The allegations sparked a discussion in the fandom that urged an investigation into the lower division part of DPC, which was held between April 12 and May 22. The investigation proved the teams’ wrongdoings.
This wasn’t even the first time Wind and Rain came under fire, as at the beginning of DPC Season 2, the A-team’s captain Chad “Szabo666” Szabo got relegated from the upper-division and kicked all his teammates except one. Szabo then signed with Wind and Rain and got inside DPC’s second season in the last possible moment, raising match-fixing suspicions among fans.
A Wave of Bans Restores Order
This resulted in a wave of bans for the two teams. First, they were disqualified from the DPC competition in North America. Following that, Valve came forward, announcing they are now banned from The International, regional qualifiers, and all events associated with Valve. If all this wasn’t enough, Beyond the Summit hopped in, announcing the teams aren’t welcome to the organization’s events.
In short, Wind and Rain and Pecado Squad Gaming were thrown out of competitive Dota 2 overnight. If it wasn’t for the ban, Pecado would have taken fourth place, a hefty $11,000 prize, and a chance to participate in The International qualifier.
We still don’t know if the ban will only cover the respective main roster of each team and whether inactive players such as Ilyas “Steel-_-Borco” Kaukenov, who left the team before the season ended, will receive any punishment as well.
Match-fixing has been a part of all games and sports that include a betting element. Some are better at concealing it, while others like Wind and Rain and Pecado Squad Gaming get banned quickly. In any case, it is a persistent problem that sometimes even demands involvement from law enforcement.
