Crime doesn’t pay. That’s what these six people are learning the hard way after recently getting caught by Australian police “conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome of event or event contingency, or use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes.” What does that mean?

Well, these six men between the ages of 19 to 22 were involved in allegedly arranging to throw matches and subsequently placing bets on those matches in a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) esports tournament. At least five matches were impacted, with over 20 bets put on the matches by Australian punters.

These offences potentially carry a sentence of up to ten years in prison, though the six arrested men have since been released pending further enquiries as the investigation remains ongoing at the time of writing.

According to the official statement, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Paterson said:

“Esports is really an emerging sporting industry and with that will come the demand for betting availability on the outcomes of tournaments and matches.

It’s important that police and other agencies within the law enforcement, gaming and betting industries continue to work together to target any suspicious activity.

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.”

Match-fixing has been a major thorn in esports tournaments over the years, tarnishing the credibility and reputation of the entire industry. However, most of the times, those who engaged in these disgusting acts were simply banned from participation. This is the first time that the law enforcement authorities have taken action.