Mentioned in this article Teams: Epsilon eSports

On September 17, 2014, Epsilon eSports knowingly threw its ESEA match against Overgaming purposefully, and bet against itself. When this activity was leaked by a member that was cut from the team, Valve responded by issuing a one-year ban to Epsilon’s players—a move that was accepted reluctantly.

One year later, however, Valve escalated the punishment into indefinite, lifetime bans. For Joey “fxy0” Schlosser—who was 20 years old at the time of the match fixing incident—it was like losing his entire future.

The temptation of €100

Schlosser is your typical pro player. He’s spent years gaining muscle memory, map expertise, and strategies galore. At 20 years old, the French player was a rising star in the Counter-Strike circuit, a recent pickup by Epsilon Gaming, and was playing well—including aiding his new team to a playoff showing at ESL Cologne 2014.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Schlosser won skins worth just €100.[/perfectpullquote]

One month later, his team was in the unfortunate position of playing a pool match in the ESEA Open LAN that meant nothing—Epsilon had already lost out on any chance of advancing. According to Schlosser, it was then that a team member suggested throwing the match, and betting against themselves.

Schlosser’s immediate reaction was to say no—but as his team member’s insistence continued, Schlosser was swayed, and agreed to throw the match. He gave some weapon skins to a friend to bet on Overgaming winning the match, and after the match got the skins back plus the reward. Per a statement on HLTV.org, Schlosser won skins worth just €100. At the time, he thought it was harmless, an easy way to win some cool skins.

The damage of €100

In return, Schlosser has lost a career. Stahmer went public with the incident after getting dropped from the team, and it wasn’t long before Valve handed down a punishment—a year-long ban upgraded later to be indefinite. Valve’s ruling against him and his team prevents him from competing in any Valve-sponsored events ever again. In addition, Valve publishing Schlosser’s name has effectively led to being blacklisted by other tournament and league organizers who respect Valve’s rulings by also preventing banned players from competing.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Schlosser now faces the very real possibility of having to give up competitive gaming entirely.[/perfectpullquote]

While Schlosser has continued to play under the Millenium banner—with no end in sight to his punishment—despite multiple first-place finishes in “minor league” events this year, the organization has terminated his contract at the end of August. Schlosser now faces the very real possibility of having to give up competitive gaming entirely.

To be clear, match fixing is a serious crime, and in sports, can completely destabilize the competitive industry. The “Black Sox” Scandal, for example, saw eight players throw the 1919 World Series, and get subsequently banned for life, in one of professional sports’ most storied scandals. Competitive leagues require trust from their fans that matches aren’t rigged—any hint that the outcome is predetermined cuts deeply into any game’s entertainment value.

Indeed Schlosser’s actions caused far more damage than he initially thought. Though he only won skins worth €100, it’s important to understand where that money came from: people that bet for him to win—his own fans. It’s hard to think of an action that a professional athlete can make that is more damaging than to steal from those who most believe in them and in their success. It is, without a doubt, an act of great harm.

Becoming an example

Schlosser readily admits that what he did was unconscionable. In a video apology released today, Schlosser lays bare his thoughts on his past actions.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Don’t get involved in match fixing. It’s bad and immoral. It is against all good that competition stands for. It can ruin your career. It is never worth it. I’m really sorry for what I did.”[/perfectpullquote]

Now, Schlosser wants to make things right with everybody—with Valve, with the community, and most importantly, with his fans. He wants to use his story as a weapon against further match fixing, and to educate other players on the damage it can cause to careers. He may never be able to play professionally again, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help others avoid sharing his fate.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I want to take every step needed to get rehabilitated,” he adds in his video address, “And to protect every player from match fixing.”[/perfectpullquote]

Schlosser is doing more than just paying lip service. Schlosser has sent Valve a letter suggesting that he does the following to seek forgiveness.

Donate $10,000 from any future earnings towards “good causes” (implies to go towards educating players about the dangers of match fixing)

Participate in anti-corruption training provided by Sports Radar, a sports data company that is currently partnered with ESL to identify and prevent match fixing.

A letter of apology to Valve—already sent—and a video apology to the community—released today.

Full cooperation with Valve into any inquiries into his match fixing incident in 2014.

In addition, Schlosser recently met with Ian Smith, the Integrity Commissioner at the Esports Integrity Coalition, to talk about his situation. As a result, Schlosser agreed to let ESIC film him as he tells his story and warns of the dangers of match fixing. According to a letter from Smith to Valve, ESIC will be using that footage—which Smith describes as “powerful and compelling”—to create training material going forward that is intended to be shared with every professional player.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“It is very rare for sports integrity organisations to get good voluntary material from past offenders—most remain in denial and contempt for the process that led to their banning,” Smith adds, “Joey is an exceptional case in this respect—he has given us open and honest footage showing real remorse and a willingness to help others avoid his mistake.”[/perfectpullquote]

All of this has been done—voluntarily and at Schlosser’s expense—in an appeal to Valve to change his punishment. It may work, or it may not. But the lasting impact of his attempt is sure to make an impact, especially on other players.

Proportional punishment

There’s a certain appeal to Schlosser’s attempt at getting unbanned. Certainly, what he did was punishable and a clear violation of competitive standards. But there does come a time to ponder the level of punishment applied to Schlosser, and indeed, whether he could be used better as a message to other players—and more lastingly, as a representative to speak out against immoral competitive actions of all forms.

In determining whether the punishment is appropriate, it’s always useful to look at other incidents of match fixing. Indeed, in many countries around the world, match fixing is illegal, and competitive punishment often goes hand in hand with criminal investigation.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]For a similar crime, handball star Nikola Karabatic was fined €10,000, given three years probation, and suspended for just six games.[/perfectpullquote]

Take, for example, the case of Nikola Karabatic, a gold-medal winning French handball player that threw a championship match that was—similarly to Schlosser’s match—meaningless, as his team had already won the French title. €103,000 was bet on the match, an abnormally high number for the sport, enough so that it raised suspicions, leading to an investigation that unveiled evidence of match fixing.

Karabatic was fined €10,000, given three years probation, and suspended for just six games. He has since been signed to multiple high-profile teams, and was named the “Best Player in the World” in 2014.

Of course, other immoral actions happen in sports plenty of times. Tom Brady of the NFL’s New England Patriots, in a much-publicized incident, has been given a four game suspension for failing to cooperate with investigators in the “DeflateGate” scandal. His case went all the way up to the U.S. Court of Appeals—just one step below the U.S. Supreme Court.

Banned for life

Schlosser, however, is now dealing with a lifetime ban. His suggestion to be used as an example—a very public, outspoken example—of why not to match fix raises an interesting situation. Indeed, if allowed back in, he intends to spend the rest of his career helping raise awareness of match fixing. If not allowed back in, it’s easy to see him giving up on his venture, leaving a void behind in his role as an example.

Lifetime bans in traditional sports occur after far more serious crimes. People like Aaron Hernandez—ironically from the same team as Tom Brady—have been banned following cold-blooded murder and gang activities. And in the case of the “Black Sox,” the bans were for throwing a match at the penultimate stage of the Major League Baseball series, which surely had national attention and countless bets placed upon it.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There has, to date, been no criminal investigation into Schlosser’s match fixing.[/perfectpullquote]

In esports, lifetime bans have also taken place, and indeed for several cases in South Korea, resulted from incidents of match fixing. 2010’s Brood War match fixing scandal resulted in many players receiving ~$10,000 fines, and some with probationary prison sentences. Last year, the StarCraft 2 scene was similarly rocked, with more players receiving similar sentences. All players involved received lifetime bans by the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA).

It’s important to note, however, that all of the mentioned punishments in this article, save Schlosser’s, came in coordination with criminal proceedings. There has, to date, been no criminal investigation into his team’s match fixing, nor is there any sense that prosecutors would seek criminal charges, due to the miniscule amount of money he made in the incident. Schlosser’s crime is entirely one of violating competitive integrity.

The end of match fixing

Schlosser has already participated in creating educational training for other gamers, and indeed, there are many studies that will point to such training as being a deterrent against future match fixing. The more honest and open the person punished was, the more impactful the training can be. Schlosser’s testimony to ESIC, and subsequent other trainings created by ESIC and Sports Radar, will be important for all players to participate in if leagues want to stop this kind of activity.

That said, the easiest way to prevent match fixing related to gambling is also the most logical one—pay players enough to simply ignore the temptation. That explains, in part, the ridiculously high salaries of many sports players.

But in esports, there are few making enough to escape that temptation. And assuredly, there’ve been far more match fixing events and behind-the-scenes gambling within esports that don’t get reported on. This year’s multiple weapon skin gambling scandals, largely to do with undisclosed relations between owners and promoters and lack of regulation, have only shed more light on the potential for harm.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]History repeats itself—no amount of lifetime bans can prevent that.[/perfectpullquote]

The known public incidents of match fixing in CS:GO, including Schlosser’s, are small in number, and very likely just the tip of a very large iceberg—one that will very unlikely ever see the light of day. In that sense, it makes sense for Valve to impose such a harsh ban; while his individual action was miniscule, it serves as a stern warning to others from even considering match fixing.

But then again, the Brood War scandal and fallout didn’t stop it from happening again. MLB’s “Black Sox” scandal didn’t prevent Pete Rose from betting on his own games in the 1980’s, either. History repeats itself—no amount of lifetime bans can prevent that.

But enabling Schlosser as an advocate against match fixing may, at the very least, prevent it from happening sooner. It could, if done right, ignite a generation of awareness to the issue, and brand into the minds of many young gamers the dangers of match fixing. The ball now lies in Valve’s hands, whether it sticks to its guns and keeps the ban in place, or whether it bends and tries to make an ally out of Schlosser.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Unbanning Schlosser could ignite a generation of awareness to the issue, and brand into the minds of many young gamers the dangers of match fixing.[/perfectpullquote]

Of course, this has been the pitch that Schlosser and his lawyer, Anna Baumann, have been trying to make for months to Valve—“help us help you.” Perhaps the most telling sign, however, is that, all this time—despite multiple letters and attempts to hold a cooperative conversation—Valve still has yet to respond to them.

Valve has a responsibility to attempt every course to prevent match fixing, and that, in this case, may include finding a reformed advocate to serve as an example. Or, it may be that, in Valve’s mind, even €100 won warrants the ultimate punishment. Such an amount, however, is surely small fries compared to the benefit Schlosser could bring to the industry.