Dragon Gate Team has been permanently banned from the League Master Series (LMS) following allegations of match-fixing and wagering on professional games. Garena, the organizers of the LMS, came to the conclusion following an investigation of Dragon Gate Team (DG).
Following an investigation, Garena has permanently banned Dragon Gate Team from participating in the LMS due to match-fixing.
Aside from the sanctions against the organization itself, several rulings were passed down to specific parties involved. Team owner Hu Wei-Jan has been prohibited from operating any kind of professional or amateur League of Legends team. Coaches Fan Jian-Peng and Li Xin-Yu have both been banned from partaking in any LoL event for 12 months – offseason months excluded. Finally, Dragon Gate Team jungler Liu “JGY” Yang has been banned for 18 gameplay months.
Huang “2188” Jin-Long’s Statement
Dragon Gate top laner Huang “2188” Jin-Long took to Facebook and posted a statement regarding the match-fixing. The below translation of 2188’s post is courtesy of Reddit user mtsoren882:
“On March 26, the team decided not to include Soul in the game against Alpha Esports, on March 27. I was very displeased, but the management team said there was an accident in Soul’s family. Soul went on to practice with us normally, and I confronted him on why he is still acting as if nothing happened to his family. He told me that on March 26, the management team asked him to participate in match fixing with JGY for 5,000 RMB [750 USD] a match.
But the offer was declined by Soul, so the management team decided to include the substitute AD player that knew nothing as the starting player… Soul showed me screenshots that our owner was involved in underground gambling.”
2188 would go on to say that the Wei-Jan was placing large wagers on multiple accounts with the highest payout for one game earning him “enough to purchase a[n] LMS slot.”
What Comes Next for Dragon Gate and Garena?
Dragon Gate was expected to compete in the LMS Summer Promotion match after finishing a disappointing 2-12 in the LMS Spring Split. However, following the teams’ ban, Taiwan’s SuperEsports will take their place in the LMS.
On Dragon Gate’s official Weibo page, the team has claimed that there was insufficient evidence and that they intend to sue Garena.
