FBI Investigating Match Fixing in Counter-Strike

[Tsing]

Image: Valve



Counter-Strike tournaments have increasingly been plagued by instances of match fixing, whereby players are bribed by betting organizations and other groups to engage in fixed competitions that end in a pre-determined result. Apparently, the problem has gotten so bad that it’s drawn the attention of the FBI, whose sports betting investigative unit has now been tasked to weed out some of the bad actors. Ian Smith, the commissioner of Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC), revealed this in a recent chat with YouTuber slash32 and explained that the problem lied with a “small but significant group of players.”









“[It’s] what I would describe as classic match fixing — players being bribed by outside betting syndicates in order to fix matches, rather than players just doing it off their own bat opportunistically, and it’s being going on for longer...

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[Brian_B]

The FBI... really. This is that level of seriousness now?

 

[Space_Ranger]

Listen.. They gotta have SOMETHING to do..

 

[Grimlakin]

We've noticed in some fights your stats are slipping bewbs86. Are you fixing fights?

 

[Brian_B]

I only accept this if Sculley is leading the investigation.

 

[Dogsofjune]

There goes my Vegas insider betting....

 

[Zarathustra]

Really? The FBI doesn't have anything better to do than worry about some silly game?

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed Counter-Strike for years, but come on. It's just a game.

In the grand scheme of things no game matters at all.

 

[Brian_B]

In the grand scheme of things no game matters at all.

True, but once you hit “pro” and money is involved, it takes a different bent

Not sure if there are “pro” CS matches or
not though

 

[Zarathustra]

True, but once you hit “pro” and money is involved, it takes a different bent

Not sure if there are “pro” CS matches or
not though

I don't know what that scene looks like these days.

I mean, CS was one of the first titles to have a "pro" scene, but I feel like it has kind of fallen by the wayside these days, right?