Fines for breaking the rules of the LCS have often seemed arbitrary and even unfair. That should soon change. Riot Games has released “penalty indexes” for its LCS and global ruleset. The new documents contain specific information on what penalties they will impose on those who break those rules.
The company has caused controversy in the past by dealing with offences on a case-by-case basis, often leading to inconsistency in the application of penalties for rule violations. Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, for instance, was fined $2,000 in January 2014 for approaching a player to join his former team while that player was still contracted. Renegades owner Chris “Doombang” Badawi, meanwhile, was banned from participating in the LCS or owning a team for a year after committing a similar offence.
The penalty indexes can be viewed here. One has been made for minor offences that warrant punishments up to and including three month bans from the league, while another covers offences that go beyond that threshold.
The move will be welcomed by players and team owners as well as the league’s viewers. Riot’s lack of transparency in decision making has been heavily criticized in the past. The new penalty indexes should start to solve those issues—so long as Riot consistently implements them.
Illustration by Max Fleishman
Need more esports? Check out Dot Esports on Youtube!
