People sit in Benaroya Hall during "The International" Dota 2 video game competition in Seattle, Washington August 11, 2013. Sixteen teams from 12 countries battled for some $2.9 million in prize money, with Swedish team 'The Alliance'
People sit in Benaroya Hall during "The International" Dota 2 video game competition in Seattle, Washington August 11, 2013. Sixteen teams from 12 countries battled for some $2.9 million in prize money, with Swedish team 'The Alliance' claiming the top prize of $1.4 million after defeating Ukraine's 'Natus Vincere' in a final watched by an audience of 1700 at Benaroya Hall and streamed live on the Internet. REUTERS

Game fixing in sports has been an issue for as long as the game itself. The proliferation of betting sites and the evolution of technology has given rapid rise to the art of placing bets. Multiple sites now offer betting strategies and odds which are either guided by statistical and historical data and in some cases by illegal insider information. This type of instance has not escaped the gaming world particularly, Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2, one of the largest and fastest growing online multi-player gaming platform.

According to PCGamesn.com, tournament organizers of Summit 2, have disqualified Malaysian Dota team Arrow Gaming for allegations of match-fixing. The said penalty was implemented when the organizers found evidence that affiliates of the squad were betting high against Arrow Gaming.

"We have no choice but to remove Arrow Gaming from The Summit 2." BTS ldDota said. "We hope other organizers will take evidence of match-fixing seriously, as it's absolute poison for the scene."

While the tournament itself offers cash prizes to the team winner of up to $100,000 provided by beyond the Summit, the out of the tournament bets offered in various Dota 2 betting sites offer value bets that also reach in the six figures. The alarming cause of concern was heightened by a Reddit user who posted a rumour that teams were talking amongst each other and cashing on arranged matches. Reddit user PacificRen went into vivid details on how Arrow Summit have been conducting talks with other teams, including a screenshot of the conversation between the captain of Arrow Gaming and the leader of their previous opponent Australian team Can't Say Wisps.

What substantiated the rumours was the findings that the girlfriends of Arrow Gaming players placed large bets against their team in the league group stage match, a game will not yet yield too much bearing on disqualification. Given that the disqualification will still undergo a lengthy investigative process, the disqualification of Arrow Gaming is a big one given that the team had to go through qualifiers to secure a place in the International 4 tournament. In light of the controversy, the team has already released its official statement through its Facebook page.

"Our management is at the moment investigating and contacting relevant parties regarding this accusation involving two players from Arrow Gaming in the '322' scandal. Pertaining to this matter, should an Arrow player be proven guilty of such unethical work engagement, it will not be tolerated by our management and strict actions will be enforced," Arrow Gaming said.

In light of their disqualification, watch again highlights ofthe macth between Arrow Gaming and Navi in the recent Dota 2 International Tournament:

(Youtube/Dota 2 Tournaments)