- Riot Games has confirmed Resurgence players engaged in match-fixing
- The six former players of the team will be banned from playing in any competitive events
- The two masterminds behind the operation will receive more severe penalties
The six former members of the Resurgence team have been found guilty of betting against themselves and losing on purpose. Riot applied the necessary penalties.
Exploiting a Tournament for Financial Gain
Match-fixing is one of the most regular offenses in competitive events. As it doesn’t involve direct cheating, many think they can get away with it and get richer on top of it. However, this isn’t the case when the organizers carefully watch out for any frauds.
Riot Games has found former Resurgence players guilty of match-fixing as the team was manipulating a VALORANT match’s outcome. The game, in this case, was in September last year where Resurgence played against BlackBird Ignis during the EPULZE Royal SEA Cup. The match-fixing perpetrators attempted to bet on themselves and lose the game’s purpose, which is illegal by Riot’s rules.
The two masterminds behind the plan were Ryan “Dreamycsgo” Tan and Malcolm “germsg” Chung. They placed bets against Resurgence, their own team, and pushed their teammates to lose on purpose. The wrongdoing was first suspected by Singaporean player Jackie “Calel” Ee, who accused germsg of fixing the game. Riot looked up into it and handed the perpetrators a three-year ban from participating in Riot-sponsored events. It also got the whole team in trouble.
The team as a whole was incriminated as they were informed about the match-fixing by germs go and knew what was going on. The remaining four teammates were reluctant to lose on purpose because they knew what the risks were. However, the game still ended in a 0-2 loss for Resurgence. Germsg tried to give the teammates their due, but they promptly refused it. Not long after that, the team disbanded.
Because four teammates refused the money and were reluctant to throw the game in the first place, they received a much more lenient treatment than Dreamycsgo and germsg’s.
Justin “Boplek” Wong Chong Cheng and Sengdala “Jabtheboy” Jamnalong were banned for just a year, and Benedict “Benaf” Tan and Du Min “Mortdecai” Yeo got away with an even lighter punishment and got suspended for just six months.
April 22, the day the six players were suspended, is considered the starting date of all the bans.
Riot: Not Taking Offenses Lightly
Riot Games released an official statement where they emphasized that frauds aren’t welcome in the company’s official tournaments. Riot proceeded to remind players that they should behave and follow the rules laid down by the company. All wrongdoers will receive appropriate penalties for their offenses.
The former Resurgence players were guilty of breaking not one but two of the VALORANT Global Competition’s Policy rules. Those are the 7.2.1 rule on match-fixing and the 7.2.4 rule on gambling.
Here is what those rules have to say on the matter:
7.2.1 Match-fixing
No Team Member may offer, agree, or conspire to fix a match or take any other action to intentionally and unfairly alter, or attempt to alter, the results of any game (or any play or component thereof). If a Team Member is asked to “fix” the outcome of a game or to otherwise take part in any actions prohibited by this Global Policy or the applicable Event-Specific Rules, that Team Member must immediately report this request to the Tournament Operator.
7.2.4 Gambling
Gambling on the outcome of a tournament, match, or game in any esport competition (including any plays or components of a game) can pose a serious threat to the integrity of and public confidence in esports competitions. Team Members are not allowed to (a) place or attempt to place bets on any esports competition (or any plays or components thereof), or (b) associate with high volume gamblers, or deliver information to others that might influence their bets.
Frauds are a common occurrence in esports. Almost every day, people try to cheat or fix a match. However, as the industry grows, the community matures, and anti-fraud organs like ESIC are established, it will become easier to track down any perpetrators and appropriately punish them.
