EPT
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has issued a lifetime ban to
Firefly after concluding an investigation into his alleged match-fixing activities.In late/May early June, former Chinese pro
Jim posted a detailed account to the SCBOY (Chinese community) forums of how he Firefly had collaborated to engage in multiple instances match-fixing. ESIC began an investigation around this time, and issued a temporary suspension to Firefly which resulted in his removal from the Esports World Cup. The summary of the final ESIC report and ruling reads as follows:
"The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) today announced the outcome of its investigation into serious integrity breaches involving professional StarCraft II competitors Xue “Firefly” Tao and Gao “Jim” Mengwei. Mr. Tao has been banned from ESIC Member events and competitions for life, while Mr. Mengwei has been provisionally suspended pending further sanction.
Following a detailed inquiry spanning April to July 2024, ESIC uncovered evidence of a coordinated match-fixing and profit-sharing scheme. The investigation found that Mr. Tao deliberately manipulated match outcomes to benefit illicit betting activity orchestrated by Mr. Mengwei, with whom he had a long-standing association.
Key findings include:
- Pre-match wagers placed by Mr. Mengwei predicting Firefly’s losses — often by precise scorelines.
- Consistent match losses by Firefly aligning with those wagers across seven tournaments.
- Large Alipay transfers from Mengwei to Firefly immediately following these matches.
- A WeChat exchange on 21 August 2024 directly referencing prior payments and an effort to conceal evidence."
According to the full report, the ESIC obtained payment information, betting slips, and chat logs directly from Jim. Additionally, information on suspicious betting activity in the relevant matches was received from various sportsbooks.
ESIC is a broad anti-corruption body in esports which includes member organizations such as ESL and Dreamhack. Although the Esports World Cup is not listed as an official member or partner, EWC's removal of Firefly following ESIC's provisional suspension suggests it defers to ESIC's rulings.
