Chien "Maoan" Mao-An has been suspended by Riot Gaming for the duration of Worlds for association with gambling. The mid laner was alleged to leak scrim data for purposes of bets on Beyond’s games.
Beyond Gaming is fresh off their victory against Galatasaray Esports. On the cusp of their showdown with LCK representatives Hanwha Life Esports, the Pacific Championship Series representatives needed every advantage they can get. Instead, they will play the decisive match - and all other Worlds games, if they have any - with a substitute, after their mid laner Maoan was banned from playing further at the tournament.
Summary [1/4]:1. a screenshot of maoan's chat got leaked, with him saying "Sylas and Orianna, but dont buy too much it's just a high chance"2. the person who posted the screenshot deleted their account3. BYG's boss Dinter says on stream that he asked Maoan if it's true
— Reirachu (@Reirachuu) October 8, 2021
The news initially broke online as PCS host and Jenny "Reirachu" Lee announced that Beyond Gaming owner Xue "DinTer" Hong-Wei announced on a stream he was firing Maoan because of the mid laner leaking scrim information for betting.
Competitive Ruling: Chien "Maoan" Mao-An pic.twitter.com/x4c8Lhw5n7
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 8, 2021
Soon after Riot Gaming came out with an official ruling In it, Director of Operations Tim Martell confirmed that the Beyond mid laner violated a rule on association with gambling. Maoan was immediately banned for the rest of the event. Riot have confirmed that they are investigating the matter further and there may be additional penalties after their investigation concludes.
His removal leads Beyond Gaming without their regular mid laner for their fight with LCK fourth seed Hanwha Life Esports. Should they fail to advance, the PCS region will be represented only by their champion, PSG Talon.
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