ESIC Commissioner Provides Update on Match-Fixing Investigation in North American CS:GO Scene
Today, Ian Smith, commissioner of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC), shared an update regarding the investigation into match-fixing in the North American Counter-Strike (CS:GO) scene.
During the Aug. 31 episode of HLTV Confirmed, Smith disclosed that a total of 35 North American players are currently under investigation. Additionally, he mentioned that the ESIC is actively collaborating with Riot Games due to the significant number of players who have transitioned from CS:GO to VALORANT.
The ESIC’s investigation focuses on match-fixing allegations in the ESEA-organized Mountain Dew League (MDL).
The ESIC has already handed out bans as part of its actions. Sebastian “retchy” Tropiano and Kevin “4pack” Przypasniak received five-year bans after audio recordings of them planning to fix a match were released by Jeffrey “Mnmzzz” Moore of dust2.us. Carson “nosraC” O’Reilly, who was also on the call, received a 111-day ban. While the ESIC determined that nosraC did not actively engage in the misconduct during the call, he was banned for having knowledge of the corrupt behavior and not reporting it to the ESIC. NosraC has already served his ban and is now eligible to participate in ESIC-governed events.
Related: ESIC Imposes 2-Year Ban on Former Heroic Coach HUNDEN
Since the beginning of the competitive scene in Riot’s first-person shooter VALORANT, rumors have circulated about high-level North American players allegedly involved in match-fixing. Many of these players, who previously competed in the MDL, made the shift to VALORANT for a fresh start. However, Riot is swiftly taking action to address their alleged misconduct in CS:GO and safeguard the competitive integrity of the VALORANT scene.
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