- Seven-year Dota 2 veteran Taiga has been caught working with match-fixers following multiple leaks, according to YouTuber, Morf-Designer.
- The 25-year-old Norwegian pro gamer revealed publicly that he had a gambling addiction in October 2023.
- Chat logs, screen recordings, and voice recordings revealed that Taiga was working with Russian match-fixers to manipulate games for their financial benefit.
Former OG team member and Dota 2 world champion is at the center of a massive e-sports match-fixing controversy. Evidence of Tommy “Taiga” Le working with Russian match-fixers to manipulate Dota 2 games has been disclosed in a bombshell report by Morf-Designer.
The once well-respected member of OG’s life has come crashing down amid a gambling addiction, massive debts, and attempting to fix matches to recoup losses.
Throughout 2023, rumors of Taiga having a gambling addiction grew louder, and finally, in October, he released a statement.
I got involved with the wrong circle of people trying to look for a way out of this, people with more experience on how to deal with an addiction such as gambling, but in truth, they were never out of it. Instead, I got exploited for my weakness and mental illness, temptation, and relied on the wrong people for help, rather than my friends and family
I started getting into trouble with my taxes and an immense amount of pressure of not being able to pay in time, and would resort back to gambling and then repeat. There were lies, empty promises from all this, and with how broken I became afterwards, I ran away from the issue and lied to my beloved ones with a smile.
Taiga’s sterling reputation in the world of e-gaming quickly deteriorated. He exited OG on October 12, 2023, with his most recent recorded match with Spray n Pray on October 23, 2023.
Taiga Involved In Dota 2 Match-Fixing Allegations
Taiga’s issues allegedly snowballed out of control after becoming friends with Russian match-fixers in March 2023. Shortly after TI11, Alexander “Sensibility” Filatov got in touch with the Norwegian pro.
With Taiga’s gambling losses mounting, he accepted betting money and a gambling account from Filatov. In return, Taiga started the process of leaking insider information to the match-fixers, known as 322 mafia, around April 2023 or thereabout.
The most common fix that Taiga would allegedly perform is immediately seeking the First Blood available at many esports betting sites. Additionally, over/under wagers on kills and sharing first-person live streams of matches are included in the accusations levied against Taiga.
The 322 mafia asked that Taiga throw a game at DreamLeague S19, but he refused. Instead, Taiga agreed to target fight-orientated heroes in a match versus Nouns.
After Taiga couldn’t achieve the desired results, notably a First Blood attempt against Team Spirit, the match-fixing escalated. Opponents were beginning to identify Taiga’s aggressive First Blood tries and subsequently set up their teams to defend properly against OG.
322 Mafia Requests That Taiga Returns Money
Following DreamLeague Group Stage 1, Taiga wanted to part ways and stop match-fixing, but the group ultimately threatened Taiga with blackmail.
Morf-Designer reported that Taiga fixed outcomes on 25 occasions and failed three times in DreamLeague games.
The Russians also requested that Taiga pay back the losses that they incurred from wagers. Thereafter, Taiga continued to aim for aggressive First Bloods to try to satisfy Filatov, but he rejected any ultimatums to completely throw a match and lose.
Reportedly, Taiga continued to share insider information during Berlin Major 2023, with Filatov transferring monetary rewards to the disgruntled 25-year-old. OG subsequently opened a match-fixing investigation and Taiga left his team in October 2023.
Taiga’s E-Sports Career Likely Over
The ensuing fallout from the match-fixing allegations is only starting to be felt. However, if the investigation turns up any truth to Morf-Designer’s report, then it’s probable that Taiga will receive a lifetime ban.
It’s difficult to foresee any other type of outcome for Taiga’s pro gaming career other than a lifetime ban from tournaments. Even then, there isn’t a reputable e-sports team that would be interested in signing Taiga due to this damning incident.
The most likely scenario is that Taiga lays low until the dust settles, and then attempts to revamp his brand exclusively as a streamer. According to Taiga’s Twitch account, he hasn’t been live since last month.
Currently, these are only accusations that haven’t been corroborated through an official investigation. It doesn’t look good for Taiga, however.
If you or anyone that you know struggles with a gambling addiction, please access our responsible gambling guide to learn more and get help.
