7 CS: GO Pros Banned by ESIC After MDL Betting Scandal

The CS:GO scene cannot seem to catch a break these days. Just coming off the coaching bug scandal, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has just released a statement informing the public of the ban of 7 Australian MDL players for betting related offences.

ESIC issues 12 month bans to seven CS:GO players for betting related offences. ESIC has also referred the matter to law enforcement.MDL match fixing investigations are still ongoing and further updates are pending the resolution of the complexities involved. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/JbFc0LodkE

— ESIC (@ESIC_Official) October 23, 2020

The confirmed offenders are:

• Stephen “sjanastasi” Anastasi (LAKERS) [now playing as “stvn”]
• Akram “akram” Smida (Rooster) [now playing as “ADK”]
• Daryl “Mayker” May (Ground Zero)
• Corey “netik” Browne (Rooster) [sometimes spelt “nettik”]
• Damian “JD/The Real Goat” Simonovic (Rooster 2)
• Carlos “Rackem” Jefferys (Rooster 2)
• Joshua “jhd” Hough-Devine (Rooster 2)

How Severe Are Betting Offences?

Mayker, one of the seven banned players | Image Credits: ESL

The severity of this ban is far reaching, as ESIC details the extent of the consequences in their statement, and how its affiliates will be upholding this sentence.

"As per all investigations conducted by ESIC, our determinations have effect across all of our membership. This includes members such as ESL, DreamHack, WePlay, BLAST, and many others."

ESIC is not taking these offences lightly and is involving Australian Law Enforcement, as Australian Criminal Code has been breached. Twiterrati believe that the ban is too lenient, and that stricter action must be taken to truly deter unethical behaviour.

12 months seems a remarkably short ban all things considered.

— Freddie🌹 (@FredWBR) October 23, 2020

Valve has been known to be extremely stringent against offending players, swiftly offering lifetime bans, such as in the case of iBUYPOWER.

ESIC On The Warpath

Image Credits: ESEA

In the final page of its statement, ESIC informs us that this is just the tip of the iceberg, as they carve a path through the underbelly of CS:GO's professional scene, in the quest for justice.

"ESIC is in the process of investigating additional breaches of the Anti-Corruption Code within the MDL in both Australia and North America. As these investigations relate to other behaviours such as match fixing, they have been significantly more complex. As previously mentioned by ESIC in its release dated 3 September 2020, there are a high volume of investigations being coordinated by ESIC relating to match manipulation behaviour."

While this is a blow to the integrity of the sport, at the end of the day, the scene benefits from a cleaner, fairer, and more competitive environment that will pay off in the long run.

What are your thoughts on the ban? Too strict? Too lenient? Comment or tweet at us and let us know.