ESIC Issues Bans To 35 CS:GO Players

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has banned 35 CS:GO players as a result of betting-related offenses. Towards the end of last year, 37 CS:GO coaches in Australia were banned for using spectator bugs in September. Seven players in Australia also received bans for betting-related offenses. The recent ban shows how much the ESIC is committed to ensuring integrity in the game and how far it is willing to go to ensure it succeeds. All 35 Australian players were banned, mainly because they placed a bet on their matches. We are not sure why the players continue to do this as it is against the ESIC Anti-Corruption Code. Two of the thirty-five had pending cases before now, which has led to a further extension on their ban.

ESIC, through their Twitter page, said, “ESIC issues bans against 35 players for betting related offenses and extends bans for 2 players previously sanctioned in October 2020. ESIC will continue to investigate further offenses in Australia, NA, and Europe in co-operation with law enforcement.” An official statement also pointed out how the commission has been investigating match manipulation and betting violations for years and will continue to do so, with a focus on Australian CS:GO. The statement also broke down each infringement by each player and how severe their penalties are.

These criminal acts were not only committed by players but also by individuals who do not fall under the jurisdiction of the ESIC. However, their cases were handed over to law enforcement agencies, and investigations are still going. It is suspected that a high degree of match-fixing is prevalent, but the charges against these 35 are based solely on betting violations. It is bizarre that players are looking to win wagers on competitions that they already earn from. ESIC has promised to continue to investigate and clamp down on players involved in this practice, as it not only tarnishes the image of the esports industry in Australia but will land the player in serious trouble as he will have to face the wrath of the law.

Information on Banned Players

The player names, as well as the duration of their ban, was released by ESIC. Below is a list of all 35 players and the length of their ban:

Player | Team | Duration

Jeremy “motion” Lloyd | Control | 12 months

Patrick “falcon” Romano De Sousa | Control | 12 months

Johnathan “Del” Sackesen | Lese | 12 months

Grayson “vax” Uppington | Overt | 12 months

Aidan “meta” Wiringi Jones | Overt | 12 months

Kaito “minusthecoffee” Massey | Aftermind | 12 months

Mason “msn” Trevaskis | Aftermind | 12 months

John “jcg” Grima | Integral Nation | 12 months

Isaac “prodigy” Dahlan | Integral Nation | 12 months

Billy “beetee” Thomson | Integral Nation | 12 months

Kieren “Muzoona” Jackson-Clapper | Integral Nation | 12 months

Matthew “zilla” Zdilar | Mako | 12 months

James “roflko” Lytras | Vertex | 12 months

Damon “damyo” Portelli | LAKERS | 12 months

Jak “jtr” Robinson | Rooster 2 | 12 months

Daniel “rekonz” Mort | R!OT Gaming | 12 months

Nicolas “lato” Gullotti | Skyfire | 12 months

Marcus “mdk” Kyriazopoulos | Really Weird | 12 months

Joel “pearss” Kurta | Waterbottle, Valorant | 12 months

James “jamie” MacPhail | Downfall | 12 months

Ioan “bowie” Tuleasca | Lese | 12 months

Joshua “joshaaye” Wilson | 12 months

Ryan “kragz” Clarke | Incept | 12 months

Roman “matr1kz” Santos | Forbidden | 24 months

Cailan “caily” Lovegrove | Aftermind | 24 months

Andy “Noobster” Zhang | AVANT | 36 months

Jayden “foggers” Graham | Control | 48 months

Sam “tham” Mitchell | Buckets | 48 months

Mate “habbo hotel” Poduje | LAKERS | 48 months

Samuel “samy” Jarvis | Caught off Guard | 48 months

Daniel “deezy” Zhang | Aftermind | 48 months

John “wots” Zhu | Forbidden | 48 months

Matthew “jam” Castro | Overt | 60 months

Alvin “Gravins” Changgra | 60 months

Wilson “willyks” Sugianto | Vertex | 60 months

The two players that got extensions are:

Akram “ADK” Smida | Rooster | 12 to 24 months

Daryl “Mayker” May | Ground Zero | 12 to 48 months