Dota 2 network gives player lifetime ban for throwing match to win bets

Dota 2 network StarLadder TV has banned a player for betting on his team losing after a "suspiciously horrible performance," reports Join Dota.

Player Alexey "Solo" Berezin bet $100 on his team, roX.KIS, to lose its Star Series match against team zRage last week. Berezin reportedly won $322 in bets for the loss. Starladder issued Berezin a lifetime ban and handed out three-year bans to three of his teammates, as well as a year-long ban for the entire team.

Team roX.KIS issued a statement stating they did not throw the match, and that the team "believes in the innocence of its players and staff" and the "evidence base is very uncertain." The team states the IP from which the bet was made is not Berezin's, and the site where he placed the bet, egamingbets.com, allows betters to cash to any account they know the ID for. Since Berzin's ID was publicly available, the team suggests it's possible someone else made the bet in his name.

Additionally, they gave reason for their poor performance, stating since they "did not have any chances of getting to the Lan finals" the match was "just a formality."

"Solo and Rox team do not agree with these accusations and we continue to ask for a full investigation of this incident(with the help from Starladder judges, players and managers of Rox, and egamingbets)," reads the statement. "We look forward to understanding of this among our fans, and please do not make sudden conclusions."