BetBoom handed instant loss for watching Dota 2 stream during Bali Major match

In a surprising turn of events at the Dota 2 Bali Major, BetBoom has reportedly been handed an instant loss for their match against Tundra Esports yesterday, which has sent them tumbling down to the event’s lower bracket.

Pure was allegedly caught watching a livestream of the match on Twitch while it was paused, which is a clear violation of the tournament’s rules. Accessing information about competitive Dota 2 matches from external sources, including streams, is prohibited to stop teams from gaining any potential unfair advantages, such as gaining insight into an opponent’s strategies, positions, and mid-match ward placements.

Tournament organizers IO Esports and Epulze reportedly handed down the sanction earlier today, hours before BetBoom’s next scheduled match at the Bali Major.

The violation was confirmed by BetBoom’s manager, Luka “Lukawa” Nasuashvili, in a video shared by Dota 2 journalist and insider Arseny Kuzminsky. “I have nothing to say. We play with Azure Ray in an hour,” the BetBoom admin chief said.

BetBoom’s instant loss for an already-played game is a massive blow for their Dota 2 campaign, especially because it now puts them at risk of losing a spot at The International 2023. They seemingly had the 16th qualification spot on lock after hitting 760 DPC points, but that could soon change following this penalty.

No further consequences have been confirmed for BetBoom yet. The list of possible punishments outlined in the event’s rulebook includes bans and suspensions, disqualification, and monetary fines, but it depends on the severity of the breach.

The player in question, Pure, is no stranger to controversy. His contract with Virtus.Pro was terminated in April 2022 after he drew a “Z” symbol on the in-game mini-map, which was believed to be a Russian militarist symbol.

He turned a new leaf in his Dota career after signing with Entity and was eventually picked up by BetBoom, where he’s since managed to thrive.

Update July 6, 6:35pm CT: More than six hours after the initial announcement of BetBoom’s default loss was made, IO Esports and Epulze released an official statement confirming the EEU team “violated the rules during a technical pause.”

The statement cited both ruling 5.22 Information Abuse and 5.2.3 Punishments for Cheating for the decision, additionally confirming that Pure would be disqualified from competing for the remainder of the event. This may have been part of an ongoing discussion between the players on Azure Ray and tournament staff about proceedings, though that information was not disclosed by the organizers.

BetBoom opted to play with Resolyt1on as a stand-in for Pure for the remainder of their time in the Bali Major.

Additionally, Tundra Esports was hit with a level-one drafting penalty for their opening round against Team Liquid in the upper bracket because 33 opened Spotify.

Information about any follow-up punishments, DPC point penalties, or other repercussions from this incident will be shared at a later date.