The scandal enveloping Korea's professional Starcraft scene appears to be worse than first believed, with eleven gamers under investigation amid allegations that gambling organisations have been running a "training institute" to lure players into illegal match-fixing.


As we reported last month, an investigation has uncovered widespread corruption in the upper echelons of Korea's pro gaming circuit, with many of the nation's top gamers accused of throwing matches in exchange for cash.


Eleven "athletes" are currently under investigation for throwing eleven matches between 2006 and 2008, with illegal gambling cartels handing the players between USD$1,760-5,730 as "compensation" for losing a match most would have expected - and bet on them - to win.

In addition to the gamers, three online gambling companies are also under investigation, after it's emerged that they had not only brokered the deals, but had been operating a "training institute for professional gamer hopefuls", which doubled as a recruitment hub for fixing matches.

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If you're not familiar with how big a deal this is for Korean gaming - and Korea in general - take a look below at the kind of crowds a Starcraft match can attract.


StarCraft players indicted for game fixing [Korea Times] [image credit]