According to the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC), a group of North American CS:GO pros are under investigation from the FBI for match fixing.
This new information comes via the ESIC Commissioner, Ian Smith, who spoke to YouTuber Slash32. He revealed that the organization has been tracking a small, but important group of players that could have been involved in alleged match fixing. With North American CS:GO tournaments being affected, the FBI had to step in considering the scale and duration of the alleged match fixing.
More specifically, the operation will involve the FBI’s sports betting investigative unit.
With the relatively new unit in need of help, the ESIC will be extending its assistance to help the FBI for this particular instance in CS:GO. Assistance will apply to various areas, with a focus on the varying laws against esports gambling.
What could happen remains to be seen. The ESIC sanctioned about 35 Australian esports pros previously for breaching betting rules. For those involved, bans between one to five years were handed out.
As match fixing is illegal in Australia, there might be further ramifications down the line. For the North American side of things, this could also be the case. Smith mentioned that the organization is planning to go public in the next two weeks. We will likely learn more about the involvement of the FBI in these investigations for CS:GO.
Souce: PC Invasion
