Professional (20) admits to having manipulated Valorant matches – now there is a risk of up to 5 years in prison

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In 2020, two young professionals in Valorant are said to have engineered a match to be lost on purpose in order to get a betting reward. Now one of them is pleading guilty. In Singapore, where the trial is taking place, it carries a sentence of up to 5 years in prison.

This is the case:

  • In 2020, the professional Malcolm “Germ” Chung (25) is said to have intentionally lost a match in the “Epulze Royal SEA Cup”. His friend Ryan “dReamy” Tan (20) was the instigator.
  • The two bet against their own team in the match. Riot is investigating the case and immediately bans the whole team because the colleagues did not report the fraud immediately.
  • Now Tan pleads guilty (via straitstimes.com). The penalty is still pending.

    • Who are the pros? Germ and Dreamy are semi-professional esports players from Singapore who met through Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Germ later played for Team Resurgence in tournaments for prize money.

    dReamy, who is said to have had betting debts with Germ, offered his friend to lose a match on purpose. He received money from his brother and was able to wager it.

    This is said to have worked and made a profit. However, the scam was noticed and alarmed Valorant makers Riot, who investigated in 2021 themselves.

    The result was 3-year bans each for dReamy and Germ, and between 6 and 12 months for the other members of the team who reportedly knew about the cheating but said nothing.

    Valorant is a popular shooter and has even been able to attract fans of CS:GO since its release. The own anthem for the most important tournament is extremely well received:

    Valorant celebrates the shooter’s most important tournament with an anthem – fans praise the crazy music video

    Professional admits fraud – Up to 5 years in prison for “corruption”

    The case eventually ended up in court in Singapore, where the two ex-professionals faced charges of gambling and corruption. On January 5, 2022, Tan pleaded guilty to the charges.

    In Singapore, according to The Straits Times, these offenses carry penalties of up to 5 years in prison, a $100,000 fine, or both. However, the responsible judge is supposed to check whether a sentence on probation can be made possible, since a corruption case with such young participants is extremely rare.

    The verdict is currently pending. The penalties against the rest of the team members from Riot have now expired and some of the players are trying their hand at other teams as a professional.

    Meanwhile, Riot itself has its own legal battle with the Chinese company NetEase. The China giant is said to have boldly copied Valorant:

    Mobile shooter looks exactly like Valorant, is now being sued

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