Valve Bans Pro Counter-Strike Teams For Match Fixing

Following allegations of professional Counter-strike teams intentionally fixing matches in recent competitions, Valve has issued bans which include staff and players from teams iBUYPOWER, NetCodeGuides.com, and Team Torqued.

The following individuals are not allowed to participate in any capacity in events sponsored by Valve:

• Duc “cud” Pham
• Derek “dboorn” Boorn
• Casey Foster
• Sam “Dazed” Marine
• Braxton “swag” Pierce
• Keven “AZK” Larivière
• Joshua “Steel” Nissan

The bans were issued as a result of match-fixing for the purpose of gaining highly valued items, which can be used for betting on the outcome of professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matches or sold on the Steam marketplace.

"We can confirm, by investigating the historical activity of relevant accounts, that a substantial number of high valued items won from that match by Duc "cud" Pham were transferred (via Derek "dboorn" Boorn) to iBUYPOWER players and NetCodeGuides founder, Casey Foster," Valve's post states.

According to The Daily Dot, the match-fixing scandal resulted in more than $10,000 of earnings made. Shortly before Valve had issued the ban, North American esports organisation Major League Gaming had announced its partnership with Team Torqued. GameSpot has reached out to MLG for comment.