LGD’s mid laner Chen ‘Jay’ Bo has been found guilty by the LPL for match fixing, after a series of messages with an outsider were leaked which implicated him in plans to purposefully lose selected matches in the LPL spring split.
The LPL has a long and troubled history with match fixing. In 2021, 38 players and coaches from the LPL and its developmental league (LDL) were banned after an investigation of match-fixing allegations that took place across 2020 and 2021.
One year on from that scandal, and another instance of match fixing has come to light, with LGD mid laner Jay reportedly agreeing to lose selected matches in the LPL 2022 spring split.
Chen "Jay" Bo, mid laner for LGD, has been subjected to scrutiny for suspected match-fixing with the release of incriminating messages which alleged that he had communicated with an outsider to intentionally lose select LPL matches this season. pic.twitter.com/i06USzdnW7
— Kevin Kim (@KevinKim0_0) April 6, 2022
The allegations come after LGD failed to reach the LPL playoffs, ending the split with a 3-13 record in joint last place with ThunderTalk Gaming. Those allegations have now been confirmed by both LGD and the LPL’s investigative board. As of April 8, Jay has been banned for life from competing in any Riot Games or Tencent-affiliated tournaments.
The nature of the allegations
The allegations first came from a Weibo account with the username 6199419983. It appears as though the account was created on April 4 for the sole purpose of posting the incriminating screenshots of messages and voice conversations allegedly between Jay and an unnamed other.
According to the posts, the match fixing allegations pertain particularly to LGD’s match versus BLG on March 20, and an unspecified game versus Top Esports.
The conversation in the screenshots outlines specific conditions that the third party asked Jay to fulfil within the game, presumably for the purpose of betting.
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According to translation provided to Dexerto by @sgbros1_OW on Twitter, the screenshotted conversations mainly involve discussion of specific champion picks, and a plan to throw a fight at rift herald in a game versus Top Esports.
The messages also claim to show discussions of payment for the alleged match fixing, with the unnamed third party telling Jay he would receive payment after the second game of the BLG series. The messages also potentially implicate another, unnamed member of LGD, with Jay stating his “teammate” would help him in fixing a match.
One message from the unnamed party asks Jay “How much do you want for the 20th?”, potentially referencing fees for throwing the match versus BLG, but the fee itself is not discussed.
Riot and LGD’s response
After the initial allegations came out on April 5, Riot and LGD were quick to respond. On April 8, both Riot and LGD published their official responses to the issue, after an “in-depth investigation into the situation.”
He was found to be in violation of multiple sections of the official LPL rulebook, including Articles 11.1 (involvement in match fixing), 11.3 (involvement in gambling), and 11.2.5 (lack of co-operation with the investigation).
Riot have banned him from competing in any Riot or Tencent-affiliated tournaments for the rest of his life. He has also, in collaboration with all major live broadcasting platforms, be banned from broadcasting any League-related content on a public platform.
LGD have imposed their own sanctions, firing Jay almost immediately after the allegations were confirmed. They also state that they “reserve the right to pursue legal responsibility” after Jay’s firing.
