Police have gotten involved in a case of cheating in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Police charged five Australian players over rigging matches by placing bets on matches that they lost on purpose.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has had a recent surge in popularity, and the potential prize money to be won in matches is high. The five offending players reportedly won as much as $30,000 in the rigged matches. They are all scheduled to appear in Victorian court on September 15th of this year.

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The charges were for “use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes,” with one man being additionally charged with possession of cannabis. This is the first time charges like this have been made in Australia. The charges come from an investigation that led to six CS:GO players being arrested last year.

Cheating is rampant in CS:GO, but until now, no legal action has been taken against offenders. However, FACEIT seems to have a handle on banning cheaters as they are reported. On April 26, FACEIT banned hundreds of players, including popular YouTuber Mefju23. The arrests made in Australia came from an anonymous report from a betting agency, which led to the Victoria police starting an investigation.

Although playing a game with a cheater can be annoying or even ruin the game experience, it usually doesn’t have real-world consequences. $30,000 is a lot of money, and when that amount of cash is involved, it makes sense that the police would step in. As esports grow in popularity, the audience and the money grow with it, and cheating has bigger and more visible consequences. Traditional sports players can get fines or legal consequences from rigging games, so if esports is considered a “real” sport, it should follow the same rules.

Even if the police hadn’t gotten involved, getting banned for cheating or violating terms of service can still be serious. Last year, s1mple, a player many considered to be the best in the game, was banned from Twitch for using a slur against someone. Players as successful as s1mple can lose a lot from getting banned from a streaming service or the game itself. While most cheaters probably won’t have to face a judge, they will at least face the frustrations of fellow players who just want to enjoy the game.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is available now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

MORE: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Nerfs SG553 in New Update

Source: Kotaku

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A former Hong Kong footballer of the year is facing jail as he admitted on Thursday that he pocketed HK$10,000 after fixing two local league reserve matches in 2016.

The District Court heard that Lee Wai-lim, who won the prestigious award in 2009, coached players of Hong Kong Pegasus Football Club, which he was then a member of, to score goals and lose the game in their matches against Biu Chun Rangers Football Club.

Lee, 36, did this after receiving instructions from a player of Biu Chun Rangers, with whom he had placed bets.

Former Hong Kong footballer of the year will admit match-fixing, court told

Prosecutors also revealed that Pegasus players were occasionally asked to follow a bookmaker’s instructions to fix the result of certain matches in exchange for monetary reward, or they would have to compensate the bookmaker when they failed to do so.

That was despite all players having agreed to the Hong Kong Football Association’s Code of Ethics, which prohibits any match-fixing activity and match manipulation as well as the solicitation or acceptance of any advantage for such purposes.

Lee, who had been remanded in jail for close to six months, on Thursday pleaded guilty to one count of being an agent accepting an advantage, and another of conspiracy to defraud. A third charge of conspiracy to defraud, which Lee denied, was not pursued by prosecutors on Thursday.

Five former Hong Kong footballers charged with match-fixing as city graft-buster probes irregularities in local league reserve matches

He was freed on HK$20,000 bail pending a sentence to be hand down after the end of trial, with the condition that he remain in Hong Kong and report to police once a week.

Lee was one of five former Pegasus players charged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption last year in relation to several alleged conspiracies that they had fixed three matches while offering and accepting bribes totalling HK$60,000.

The matches were part of the Reserve Division League organised by the football association, with results having no bearing on the respective teams’ position and points in the city’s Premier League.

But Pegasus’ chairwoman Canny Leung Chi-shan and association chairman Mark Sutcliffe both noted that match fixing or manipulation would adversely affect their respective image, sponsorship and income, and put their economic interests at risk.

District judge Edmond Lee Chun-man warned: “Imprisonment seems inevitable, and [the sentence] will not be a short one.”

The court heard that Lee Wai-lim was approached by Biu Chun Rangers’ then defender Liu Songwei before a game between the two clubs at Shek Kip Mei Park on March 23, 2016. Lee, in his capacity as Pegasus’ coach, then instructed his player Wong Wai to refrain from scoring in the first 15 minutes but aim for three goals in the second half of the match. Pegasus lost 2-6.

Lee and two players – Michael Cheng Lai-hin and Lee Ka-ho – were rewarded HK$20,000 each. Another HK$10,000 was each given to a third player Chan Pak-hang and Wong, who later told investigators that he did not follow instructions.

Similar negotiations took place before another game on April 13, during which Lee Wai-lim signalled Wong to lose the match – by putting on the hood of his jacket – for a reward Wong understood to be HK$15,000. But to Lee’s dismay, his team won 1-0.

After the match, Liu told him that he was in trouble because the results did not follow the plan. As Liu issued repeated demands for compensation, Lee Wai-lim – whom prosecutors said was in a “terrified” state for failing to fix the match results – collected HK$10,000 each from Wong, Cheng and Chan. He also told Wong that he would not engage in match fixing anymore.

Lee Wai-lim was arrested months later on October 4.

His co-defendants Kwok Kin-pong, 30, Cheng, 31, Chan, 24, and Lee Ka-ho, 24, have all pleaded not guilty to similar charges of conspiracy to defraud, offering an advantage to an agent and agent accepting an advantage.

Their trial will begin on Friday.

Suspended England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from the squad for this month’s five-match one-day international series against Australia and was replaced by batsman Dawid Malan, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Monday.

Stokes, who was provisionally named in England’s squad, is awaiting a decision on whether he will be charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for his involvement in an altercation outside a Bristol nightclub in September.

The ECB said he would not travel with the group of players leaving for Australia on Tuesday and his availability will depend on CPS advice.

“Should ECB receive formal confirmation that he has either, a) been charged or, b) will face no charges, the ECB board would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability to represent England at that stage,” said the ECB on ecb.co.uk.

The ECB said Stokes has been cleared to participate in the player draft for the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

The first one-day international between Australia and England will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 14th.

– (Reuters)

FINED

ABERDEEN director Duncan Skinner has been fined £1,000 after being charged with breaking betting rules over the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 footie seasons.

SFA chiefs have carpeted former oil and gas exec Skinner – who also sits on the board of Sportscotland – over breaches of gambling rules.

And after a hearing at Hampden today the non-executive director has been disciplined by the SFA.

Strict rules ban any “club official” from gambling on games – with players such as ex-Rangers pair Ian Black and Steve Simonsen having been banned and fined in the past.

Skinner admitted at the tribunal to breaking Disciplinary Rule 31 – “No club, official, Team Official or other member of Team Staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall gamble in any way on a football match” in seasons 2014-15 and 2015-16.

PA:Press Association

He has been fined £500 for breaching the rule in season 2014/15 and another charge of £500 for 2015/16.

In the 2014/15 season he placed 13 bets involving 26 games, including one on Aberdeen to draw a game.

And in 2015/16, he placed 276 bets involving 653 games including 33 on the Dons to win and two on them to draw.

He still faces two charges under the same rule 31 for seasons 2016-17 and 2017-18 – including include one bet on the Dons to lose to Celtic at Parkhead in February this year – when the Hoops won 1-0.

 

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Another Disciplinary Tribunal will be held on March 29 2018 in relation to these charges.

In 2016/17, it’s claimed Skinner placed 282 bets on 721 games including 37 on his club to win, three on them to draw and one on them to lose.

This season, he has placed 18 bets involving 65 games including three on Aberdeen to win and one on them to draw.

He faces a Hampden hearing in the New Year over claims he placed 589 bets covering 1465 matches over four seasons.

It’s understood Skinner was unaware the rules covered him.

The Dons have supported him, with the club and Skinner himself fully co-operating with the probe led by SFA compliance officer Tony McGlennan.

Annan Athletic chairman Henry McClelland was fined £3000 by the SFA in June this year after betting on 4011 games, including 430 involving his own club.

 

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