An Exploratory Study of Esports Match-Fixing: Guardianship Failures and Situational Crime Prevention

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

Subject: LCSH

eSports (Contests), Sports--Corrupt practices, Crime prevention

Disciplines

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Abstract

An unfortunate similarity developing between esports and traditional sports is their shared potential for criminal opportunities. The esports industry is an attractive target for offenders seeking illicit gain through manipulating competitions. Esports match-fixing is the responsibility of various stakeholders including game publishers, tournament organizers, sport federations, government agencies, betting companies, and law enforcement. The complex ecosystem of esports guardianship remains largely unexplored in relation to match-fixing opportunities, which is addressed in this exploratory study. 15 semi-structured interviews with high-level representatives of esports, sport governance, betting, law enforcement, and national government in six European countries (Austria, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain, Greece) reveal a lack of capable esports guardianship due to distrust, deprioritization, and dismissiveness. These identified characteristics result in a reconceptualization of the “guardianship” concept from Routine Activities Theory as it applies to esports match-fixing. This reconceptualization contributes to criminology and crime prevention, providing a more nuanced understanding of how guardianship can be ineffective even when it is present and capable. Finally, Situational crime prevention provides a suitable framework to assess potential strategies that could mitigate opportunities for match-fixing by improving guardianship in esports.

Comments

This article is published in the journal, International Criminology, and available from the publisher's website.

DOI

10.1007/s43576-025-00172-6

Publisher Citation

Zohn, A. An Exploratory Study of Esports Match-Fixing: Guardianship Failures and Situational Crime Prevention. Int Criminol 5, 196–208 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-025-00172-6

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