Former OG Dota 2 star Taiga confesses to gambling allegations, denies outright matchfixing

Dota 2 pro Tommy “Taiga” Le released a statement today to clear his name after being embroiled in a matchfixing scandal. The statement copped to some of the allegations against him, but stopped short of a full confession.

An investigation by Dota 2 content creator Morf detailed the allegations, alleging Taiga of collaborating with the “322 Mafia” to manipulate matches in 2023 while on OG for betting purposes. In the statement, Taiga acknowledged his struggles with gambling addiction. “Late last year, I made a post about battling addiction and becoming someone else when my brain became more damaged and damaged,” Taiga said. “Everything about me changed, including my principles and my dreams.” He claims this addiction negatively affected his behavior, but maintains his innocence regarding throwing matches.

While denying outright matchfixing, Taiga admitted to sharing information with a third party for their betting purposes, claiming he was pressured due to his addiction.  “There hasn’t been a day that I don’t feel depressive guilt about it,” he wrote. “Everything that I did was the result of ‘negotiating’ with him because he wanted me to throw matches, which I never did and never will.”

The Dota 2 community remains divided on the issue. Some express sympathy for Taiga’s struggles, with one fan commenting, “I’m probably alone here, but I do feel sorry for him. That doesn’t mean I think he should ever be able to play Dota again, though. People throw away their lives because of all sorts of addictions, and it’s tragic.”

However, others believe his actions warrant punishment. “Well, now that he has admitted it, Valve can finally ban him,” one comment said.

Many also criticized Taiga’s lack of remorse towards his former teammates, who might have been impacted by his decisions. “Yep, not a single word of apology to his teammates for screwing them over, even at a Major quarter-final,” one commenter said, summarizing the community’s frustration. “All the behaviors of a self-absorbed narcissist.”

Taiga’s competitive Dota 2 career seems over as he was released from his team, Leviatán, and it’s unclear if he will be welcomed back into the scene. Valve hasn’t commented on the situation or potential disciplinary actions.