Starcraft 2: E-sport stars charged with match fixing

Lee "Life" Seung Hyun is accused of receiving money for intentionally losing matches

Two professional Starcraft 2 players have been charged with match fixing.

Lee "Life" Seung Hyun - a Global Starcraft League champion - has been charged with receiving 70 million won (£42,000) to intentionally lose two matches in May 2015.

Jung "Bbyong" Woo Yong has been charged with receiving 30 million won to throw a match in January this year.

South Korean authorities have also charged a further eight people in connection with the case.

Brokers posing as fans allegedly contacted the gamers and then arranged meetings with financial backers hoping to fix matches.

These alleged brokers have also been charged with sending payments to the gamers and placing bets for the backers.

E-sports is an increasingly competitive industry, with the top players receiving prizes of $250,000 as well as sponsorship deals.

A report by Eilers Research released last year estimated the size of the worldwide e-sports betting industry would exceed $23bn by 2020.

Gambling is prohibited in South Korea but some activities are allowed under restricted circumstances.