Six people arrested in Australian Counter-Strike match fixing scandal

Victoria Police announces that six Australians have been arrested in connection to an investigation into rigging Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matches. It is the first major match-fixing case in Australian esports history.

An investigation was launched in March 2019 after police received information from a betting agency about activity linked to a CS:GO tournament. “It’s alleged that players were arranging to throw matches and subsequently placing bets on those matches.”

It’s believed that at least five matches were impacted and over 20 bets were put on matches, with warrants served and four men arrested on Wednesday. Another warrant was executed by Western Australian police in Perth, but no arrests were made there. Two more warrants were executed and arrested in Mount Eliza.

Neil Paterson, Assistant Commissioner of Victoria Police, said this investigation involving the esports industry was one of the first of its kind by Victoria Police.

“Esports is really an emerging sporting industry and with that will come the demand for betting availability on the outcomes of tournaments and matches,” Paterson said in a release.

“These warrants also highlight that police will take any reports of suspicious or criminal activity within esports seriously, and we encourage anyone with information to come forward.”

Credit: Rudolf Baldovino