In 2020, two young professionals are said to have orchestrated a match loss in Valorant to claim a betting reward. Now, one of them is pleading guilty. In Singapore, where the trial is taking place, this could result in 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 during the match. Riot is investigating the case and bans the entire team because the colleagues did not report the fraud immediately.
- Now, Tan has pleaded guilty (via straitstimes.com). The penalty is still pending.
Who are the professionals? Germ and Dreamy are semi-professional e-sports players from Singapore who met through Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Germ later played with Team Resurgence in tournaments for prize money.
dReamy, who allegedly had gambling debts with Germ, offered his friend to intentionally lose a match. He was able to put up money he received from his brother as a wager.
This is said to have worked and yielded winnings. However, the fraud was noticed and Valorant’s creators Riot were alerted, who conducted their own investigations in 2021.
The result was a 3-year ban each for dReamy and Germ, as well as bans between 6 and 12 months for the other team members who allegedly knew about the fraud but said nothing.
Valorant is a popular shooter and has been able to attract even fans of CS:GO since its release. Its anthem for the most important tournament is extremely well-received:
Professional admits to cheating – Up to 5 years in prison for “corruption”
The case eventually went to court in Singapore, where a penalty is expected for the two ex-professionals for gambling and corruption. On January 5, 2022, Tan pleaded guilty to the charges.
In Singapore, according to The Straits Times, penalties for these offenses can be up to 5 years in prison, $100,000 in fines, or both. The presiding judge is reportedly evaluating whether a probationary sentence might be possible, as a corruption case involving such young participants is extremely rare.
The verdict is still pending. The penalties against the remaining team members from Riot have now expired, and some of the players are trying to join other teams as professionals.
Meanwhile, Riot has its own legal dispute with the Chinese company NetEase. The China giant is accused of shamelessly copying Valorant:
Mobile shooter looks exactly like Valorant, is now being sued
