TSM’s owner and founder, Andy “Reginald” Dinh, wants to put more on the line than just a trophy for the 2018 Spring Split champions. He wants to make a bet, with a $10,000 buy-in for each NA LCS team—winner takes all.
That means up to $100,000 could be up for grabs if each of the 10 teams opt in, and although Regi wants all of the winnings to go to a charity of the winner’s choice, the bragging rights will stick around. Betting tens of thousands of dollars on a prize pool separate from Riot’s own official pot seems a little fishy, but the company is perfectly okay with the owners taking part in this bet, according to league operations discipline lead Chris Greeley.
A few of the owners have already opted in, including OpTic Gaming’s Hector Rodriguez, Echo Fox’s Rick Fox, and Team Liquid’s Steve Arhancet, increasing the total pot to $40,000.
G2 Esports owner and CEO Carlos Rodríguez Santiago loves the idea of more being on the line, too, asking other owners of the EU LCS if they’d be interested in kicking up a similar bet in their own region.
The NA LCS Spring Split begins on Jan. 20 with TSM vs. Team Liquid, so the other NA LCS teams have until then to throw their hats in the ring.
