Gambit Gaming Faces Visa Issues Ahead of LCS Event in London
Gambit Gaming, a professional esports team, will be missing four of their starting players for the upcoming League Championship Series (LCS) event at Wembley Arena in London. The team was unable to secure visas in time for the event, and according to them, Riot Games did not give them enough warning to process the visas on time.
“The visa process takes three to six weeks for Russian citizens,” explained Gambit Gaming. “Players have to leave their foreign passports at a consulate during this period, so they are unable to travel abroad.”
The organization was surprised to learn about the LCS trip to Great Britain on May 22, when Riot officially announced it on the League of Legends website. This only gave the team four weeks to prepare, and two of those weeks were spent keeping the players’ passports at the consulate, leaving them with no time to process the visas.
“We would have to miss two stages in Cologne,” said Gambit Gaming. “It is senseless to sacrifice two stages to attend one.”
Missing even one week could have disastrous consequences for Gambit Gaming, who have a 4-6 record and are just barely in the playoffs. This week, they are set to play ROCCAT, a match that could determine their fate in the playoffs.
To overcome this challenge, the team is bringing in four substitute players for the week. However, they have not made any official announcement regarding who these players will be.
Riot Games tried to address the issue once they were aware of it, but the blame was placed on Riot’s failure to notify the team of the schedule in a timely manner. Gambit Gaming requested that their games be rescheduled, but the request was declined, leaving them in a difficult position. Riot’s refusal to reschedule has been met with criticism from the community.
The oversight may come from ignorance of the Russian visa issue. Most teams in the LCS do not face this problem as European Union citizens can travel to Great Britain without a visa. However, for Gambit Gaming, with only one EU player, the visa process is a major headache.
This is not the first time visa issues have affected the LCS. In the past, Gambit Gaming had to use substitute players when their German visas expired. The team never had the time to renew their visas during the season due to the LCS schedule.
Gambit Gaming expressed their disappointment in the organizers’ actions and the negative impact it has on their fans. Acquiring visas is not an issue if addressed in a timely manner, and they apologize to their fans who were looking forward to meeting them in London.
Related keywords: Gambit Gaming, League Championship Series, visas, Riot Games, League of Legends, Wembley Arena, esports