Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Pro-Players Banned from Valve Sponsored Events Over Match-Fixing Scandal

Valve Corporation, co-developer and distributor of the tactical multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, recently published a blog post succinctly outlining the banning of several professional North American CS:GO players at Valve sponsored tournaments in light of a match-fixing scandal.

Recently, allegations of match fixing in the Cevo Season 5 match between iBUYPOWER and NetCodeGuides.com came to our attention…

We can confirm, by investigating the historical activity of relevant accounts, that a substantial number of high valued items won from that match by Duc cud Pham were transferred ( via Derek dboorn Boorn ) to iBUYPOWER players and NetCodeGuides founder, Casey Foster.

All together, the information we have collected and received makes us uncomfortable continuing any involvement with these individuals…

Last year on August 22, The Daily Dot was tipped with information that the CEVO Professional Season 5 series August 21st match between iBUYPOWER and NetcodeGuides.com was fixed. iBUYPOWER, the clear favorite for the match, lost to NetcodeGuides.com with a final score of 4-16. More incriminating sources came forward suggesting that iBUYPOWER threw the match and players from that team received payment in the form of in-game cosmetics collectively valued over $10,000.

The Daily Dot forwarded its report to Valve and suggested that they look into the matter from their end. Valve’s blog post confirms high-value payments were made in the form of trades between the betters Duc cud Pham and Derek dboorn Boorn to NetcodeGuides.com founder Casey Foster and four of the five players playing for iBUYPOWER . Following Valve’s decision forbidding the involvement of these personalities at all partnered events, the major Counter-Strike competitive league ESEA instituted its own bans for all the individuals named by Valve in the blog.