Match-fixing allegations shook the Eastern European Dota 2 community after a Russian content creator, Morf, released an exposé last week. The controversy caused HYDRA to kick one of its players, Anatoliy “Lefitan” Krupnov, after he was found using third-party software called DotaPlus.
Lefitan has since admitted to betting on his team but claims it was only to win and not to lose while denying any direct involvement with the match-fixing kingpin, Anton Monetin.
The former HYDRA player said that he was in rough shape financially, and he saw betting on his own team could be a quick way out of his tough situation. Lefitan claims he placed this bet with the help of a middleman who would turn out to be in close contact with Anton Monetin. At the time of the bet, Lefitan kept everything a secret, a decision he regrets today.
Following the initial report released by Morf, the European Pro League also took action against some of the accused teams. EZ KATKA was effective immediately removed from the roster, and EPL said that it would consider taking further actions against HYDRA, YNT, and cybercats when more information regarding the matter becomes available.
Aside from Lefitan, all players named in the first report have denied involvement and wrongdoing. In a follow-up video, however, Morf criticized the accused organizations for their weak investigative efforts. According to the content creator, some players were only asked whether they had cheated or participated in match-fixing, to which they answered with a no.
While statements and accusations continue to pile up, it looks like Morf lifted a stone that Valve will need to take a better look for themselves to take the necessary actions and retain Dota 2’s integrity.
