No sooner had the first ePL Invitational tournament concluded were fans already asking the Premier League to put together another one. The absence of real-life Premier League action has left fans bereft of entertainment during lockdown and a period where the Premier League season would usually be building to a thrilling climax.

It’s a cause for celebration, then, that the ePremier League Invitational event is back, just over a week since Diogo Jota’s golden goal defeated Trent Alexander-Arnold and meant Wolves claimed the first-ever ePL title.

This time around, there are new players taking part, with some exciting 1st Round match-ups already confirmed. James Maddison of Leicester City and Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson will do battle to decide who gets a Last 16 place, with another game in the 1st Round between Tottenham’s Ryan Sessegnon and West Ham supporter Spencer Owen going to be a game of top quality.

Maddison has been in entertaining form already this week, taking on Jamie Carragher in the Sky Sports Premier League quiz with hilarious consequences.

As long as there is money, there will be people who try to scam it out of others. It’s been that way since the first currency was introduced, and, for the past 7,000 years, nothing has changed. Ponzi schemes, cheating, scams – some people of questionable moral fortitude simply believe they don’t need to play by the rules, which ultimately impacts everyone. Five individuals in Australia fit into this category perfectly, but at least they can brag of making Aussie history. They are being charged with trying to fix eSports matches in what is now the first criminal investigation into eSports in the country.

The investigation began last year after police with the Victoria Police Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit followed a hunch that eSports contests were being thrown. The games were part of a semi-professional eSports league, and people tied to the teams of the league were given hints on how to place their bets. Neil Paterson, the police department’s assistant commissioner, asserted to media outlets last September that up to AU$30,000 (around $19,230) may have been wagered in connection with the match-fixing.

The cheating was apparently focused primarily on Counter Strike: Global Offensive games being played in the ESEA-Mountain Dew League. Law enforcement began following their hunch in March of last year, ultimately leading to the charges against the five individuals last week. One 20-year-old from Melbourne has been charged with two counts of “engaging in conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome,” as well as two counts of using corrupt conduct information for gambling, and possession of cannabis. Three other locals, also 20 years old, are each looking at three counts of using corrupt conduct information for gambling, and the fifth individual, from Sale, Victoria, is a 27-year-old who now faces five counts of the same type. All of the accused reportedly went to the same high school and university.

Paterson explains of the scandal, “We’ve got young men, typically 19- or 20-year-olds, who have no history with police. They’re [allegedly] getting involved in [corruption] offences … at quite a young age that have serious consequences for them. The sheer volume of young men involved in gambling, both in high school and in universities, is at epidemic proportions. What I’m not seeing is anyone doing anything particularly about that.”

After a fun week of Esports action, three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray was crowned the Virtual Madrid Open champion as he beat David Goffin in the final to clinch a 7-6 victory in the tie-break decider.

The semi-finals of the tournament were a mixed bag. Andy Murray was effectively given a bye to the final after connection problems for Diego Schwartzman saw the two men agree that it should be Murray who advanced to the final. With the ‘lag’ on his system giving Schwartzman an advantage, the two men attempted an offline game, but it was no good and the decision was made for Murray to advance.

In the other semi-final, though, there was no problem hitting the server for Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas and David Goffin, who triumphed against the odds to progress to the final.

The match could hardly have been closer, with Goffin making it through 7-6 after a tie-break went right down to the wire, Goffin taking it 8-6. Tsitsipas tried one line-ball too many as he eventually bowed out, despite being many Esports pundits’ picks to prove the more difficult opponent for Murray to beat in the final.

A clash between Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal on clay was mouthwatering for tennis fans around the world.  After all, the last time the two men met on the clay was way back in 2016, in their last professional match to date. Murray won on that occasion, taking the Madrid Open semi-final 7-5, 6-4.

In an odd twist of fate, this was the two friends’ next meeting, on the virtual clay of the Madrid Open. This time, however, the rules were different. The winner would be the first to three single games, as long as that victory was by two games. End up level at 3-3 and it would be  atie-break to decide the winner.

That method was exactly how Nadal limped into this meeting, but for Andy Murray, the route was much easier, a convincing 3-1 victory over Benoit Paire making him a 4/7 favourite when taking on Nadal. We said yesterday that the price was huge for Murray and should be taken up and we’re happy to report that we weren’t wrong.

In what was a ludicrously one-sided affair, Nadal’s method of getting a return from anywhere wasn’t good enough, Murray’s groundstrokes pinning his opponent to the corners and leading to some friendly banter between the two men.

This is a guest contribution by Paul Brel of LOOT.BET. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

Opinion: The Right Moment to Join the Esports Betting Business

For several years now, experts have been saying esports and esports betting are promising fields for investment. But despite this, many investors and entrepreneurs have remained passive, perhaps assuming the industry still needed time to mature, stabilize, and become more predictable. Today, it seems many are waiting for the COVID-19 crisis to pass before committing to action. Of course, this hesitation is perfectly understandable given the terrible impact the crisis is having on many sectors, but waiting could be a mistake. Why? Because esports has found itself in a very unusual position, and there are plenty of indicators that despite the turmoil the world is witnessing, now is an opportune time to enter the esports betting business, whether as an investor or a startup.

Accelerated growth

The UK racing industry is fending off calls for the ouster of Nick Rust, CEO of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), over his alleged failures to safeguard the industry during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Over the weekend, reports emerged that trainers Ralph Beckett and Mark Johnston had sent emails to BHA chair Annamarie Phelps calling for Rust’s immediate removal. The pair accused Rust (pictured) of failing to prioritize live racing’s resumption following its mid-March suspension by the BHA in response to the pandemic.

The BHA originally planned to lift the suspension on May 1 but extended that timeline after the UK government extended its own lockdown of non-essential businesses. The BHA said it hoped to resume racing ‘behind closed doors’ sometime in May but believed racing with crowds in the stands wouldn’t resume “until June at the earliest.”

The two trainers argued that Rust, who in January announced his intention to leave the BHA by the end of the year, is a lame duck leader who is looking to his own future, not racing’s. Beckett urged the BHA not to wait for the government’s approval to resume racing, noting that it was “a BHA decision to stop and it needs to be a BHA decision to restart.”

While Esports big hitters such as League of Legends and FIFA have each offered charity drive events to keep their top players busy during the Coronavirus crisis, Fortnite makers Epic Games had been pretty quiet in the past month.

That was until the following statement confirmed that Chapter 2’s second season would run a little longer than its original end date.

“We’re extending Chapter 2 – Season 2 of Fortnite beyond the original April 30 date. Our plan is to launch Chapter 2 – Season 3 on June 4. Before then, there’s lots of content coming in the current Season. We have multiple game updates on the way that will deliver fresh gameplay, new Challenges, bonus XP, and a couple more surprises up our sleeve! See you on the Island!”

On the back of that decision to extend the season, Fortnite have announced a $2 million tournament series that is sure to prick up the ears of even the most casual combatant on the famous Battle Royale island.

There are 20 teams in the English Premier League and while some have been paragons of virtue, others have let themselves and their fans down. Who is who? Check out all of the teams and how they are coping below.

Arsenal

A busy quarantine period for The Gunners kicked the Premier League hiatus off when Mikel Arteta was confirmed to have Coronavirus, leading to the postponement of the game at Manchester City.

Since then, Arsenal have seen most of their players agree to a wage cut, but Mesut Ozil looks to be making a stand to avoid being included in that number, and with contract negotiations reportedly not going to plan with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, an already unsettled period could yet lead to the loss of the North London side’s prime asset.

A truly thrilling finish took place in the ePL Invitational tournament as Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Diogo Jota beat Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the inaugural FIFA 20 Event final after a golden goal from his team-mate Raul Jimenez sealed victory for Jota.

With the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all taking part across the final two days of the tournament after a thrilling opening couple of days of FIFA 20 action, bragging rights were on the line too. But who else wishes they could have finished off their opponent, while others were left thanking their lucky football stars? Read on and find out.

Quarter Finals:

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) 4-1 Christian Atsu (Newcastle)