In a shocking turn of events, a professional VALORANT player and his associate from Singapore have been found guilty of corruption charges in a match-fixing scandal that rocked the esports community. Malcolm Chung Wai Kiat, 25, and Ryan Tan Shern, 21, were convicted for their involvement in a scheme that unfolded during the Ignition Series tournaments in 2020.

Two Valorant Pros Convicted in Match-Fixing Scandal

The match-fixing incident involved Tan providing the necessary funds for Chung to place bets on a VALORANT match, which he deliberately went on to lose. The friendship between the two players, forged over six years of playing Counter-Strike, took a sinister turn when Tan borrowed money from Chung but was unable to repay it due to his own gambling losses.

To recoup the money, Tan borrowed a substantial amount from his brother and transferred it to Chung, who then used the funds to place five bets against his own team in an upcoming professional VALORANT match. Chung, serving as the captain of the RSG Resurgence Esports' VALORANT team, orchestrated the plan meticulously, intentionally underperforming himself and instructing his teammates to do the same.

The pivotal match at the center of the match-fixing charge was against BlackBird Ignis. RSG Resurgence ended up losing 0-2, with Chung's deliberate underperformance and instructions affecting the team's performance. The severity of the offense becomes evident when considering that BlackBird Ignis included three members from the current IGZIST roster, a team that had finished seventh in the VALORANT Challengers Japan 2023 tournament.

The scheme ultimately rewarded the duo with a payout of $5,187, which was divided among Tan's brother and a friend. While Chung retained $2,000 for his role in the scandal, Tan's brother received $2,697, and $480 was handed over to one of Tan's acquaintances.

Following a police report lodged by the COO of Resurgence in June 2021, both Chung and Tan were charged with corruption on August 5. Tan pleaded guilty on January 5, while Chung's verdict was delivered on May 26. As a result, Tan was sentenced to a minimum of six months of reformative training, a rigorous rehabilitative program. Chung, on the other hand, was handed a four-month jail sentence.

This incident marks the second instance within a year of a VALORANT professional being involved in match-fixing in the Pacific region. It draws parallels to a similar case in the Australian scene, where a player from Team Bliss deliberately threw a game after placing bets. However, the punishments in that case were considerably less severe, consisting of a 12-month "good behavior bond," repayment of the funds to the betting company, and donations to gambling help charities.

Notably, Riot Games, the developer of VALORANT, has yet to publicly issue bans or penalties to the players involved in these match-fixing incidents. However, it is worth mentioning that neither Chung nor Tan have competed professionally for over a year, leaving room for speculation regarding potential further actions by the esports community.