Match-fixing and betting-related frauds have seen an influx lately. After the recent ban of a professional Dota 2 team from the WePlay! Pushka League for alleged match-fixing, this time it’s CSGO which has made it to the headlines.
According to a recent report by the Victoria Police, five Australian men are facing serious charges over alleged match-fixing in a professional CSGO tournament. This is in relation to an investigation that started in March 2019 for “suspicious betting activity” after the police received reports from a betting agency about fishy activity linked to a CSGO league.
The report stated that “It’s alleged that players were arranging to throw matches and subsequently placing bets on those matches.”
The charges launched against the individuals are:
- Two 20-year-old men from Mill Park have been charged with three charges for use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes.
- Another 20-year-old man from Mill Park has been charged with two charges for engaging in conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome of an event or event contingency and another two charges for use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes. He also reportedly possesses cannabis.
- A 20-year-old man from South Morang also faces three charges for use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes.
- A 27-year-old Sale man has been charged for five counts with use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes.
All five men are set to appear in court on 15th September for their trial.
According to an ABC report, some of the charges can carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in jail. The police had said earlier that up to AUD 30,000, which is about 19,260$ was won by betting on the involved matches in ESEA MDL.
