First esports case for Australia
Police in Victoria, Australia have charged five Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) players in relation to match-fixing. Among the group are four 20-year-olds and another aged 27, all from the region.
use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes”
The players have been charged with the “use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes,” an offense that carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years. One of the accused also faces charges of cannabis possession as well as “conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome of an event or event contingency.”
A court hearing set for September 15, 2020 will take place in Sale and Melbourne. This is the first investigation in Australia relating to esports to date.
Investigation led to arrests, charges
Six players were initially arrested in August 2020 following an inquiry into suspicious patterns of betting on a semi-pro esports league. The Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit of the Victoria Police conducted the investigation.
There were a total of five matches which saw more than twenty bets made. Allegedly the players threw the matches and told associates to place wagers on their outcome.
as much as AU$30,000 (US$19,245) might have been won
The assistant commissioner of the Victoria Police, Neil Paterson, previously speculated that as much as AU$30,000 (US$19,245) might have been won as a result of the match-fixing. While the top pros in CS:GO earn a lot more than this sum, the estimated amount exceeds what a semi-pro would earn across an entire career in most cases.
According to Paterson, the motivation behind the offense was greed. He said: “The people that are professional players can make millions of dollars. These players were at the other end.” There have been concerns about the potential for match-fixing in esports for some time.
Industry experiences rapid growth
The rapid growth of esports in recent years has led to numerous extensive betting markets being offered. Now, with most sporting events across the world canceled or postponed over COVID-19, esports wagering has accelerated as sportsbooks continue to look at new ways to generate revenue.