P. LEAGUE+ & T1 LEAGUE/Tainan TSG GhostHawks player let go after admitting to betting

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Chen Ching-huan (陳靖寰), a professional basketball player with the Tainan TSG GhostHawks, has been let go by the team after he admitted to being involved in betting on games while playing for other teams, the T1 LEAGUE said in a statement Wednesday.

Despite not yet having direct evidence that proved Chen had breached the league's rules on betting, the GhostHawks still decided to expel him from the team, while informing the T1 LEAGUE and the prosecutors' office of the move, the statement said.

The statement added that the league and the team will cooperate with the prosecutors' office in investigating the case.

Though Chen is said to have admitted to involvement in betting on games, neither the league nor the club provided details of what Chen specifically did.

Before joining the GhostHawks, Chen had played for the Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor in the Super Basketball League (SBL) from 2013 to 2019, the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots from 2020 to 2021, and the Taichung Suns from 2021-2023 in the P.LEAGUE+.

According to T1 LEAGUE rules, those convicted of involvement in illegal betting are subject to both criminal punishments and a maximum fine of NT$10 million (US$308,000) by the league, with half of the fine being donated to charity.

They will also be banned from entering arenas and participating in future games, the statement said. The league is also to hold a disciplinary committee meeting to decide the exact punishment pending the final results of the trial.

The league said it had initiated a full inquiry of its staff, players, referees and coaches, while calling on those with knowledge of betting on games to confess and provide details to investigators.

Chen's case emerged after the T1 LEAGUE's Taiwan Beer Leopards let go shooting guard Lo Chen-feng (羅振峰), who admitted to betting on games, and Wu Chi-ying (吳季穎), formerly of the Yulon Luxgen Dinos and Taiwan Beer in the SBL, was accused of being involved in game fixing.