Malcolm Chung Wai Kiat, 25, and Ryan Tan Shern, 21, were involved in the scheme in which Tan provided the funds necessary for Chung to bet on a VALORANT match that he later purposefully lost, as was first reported by The Straits Times.
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A match-fixing scandal involving the Ignition Series tournaments in 2020 resulted in the conviction of two Singaporeans, among them a professional VALORANT player, on corruption-related charges. Malcolm Chung Wai Kiat, 25, and Ryan Tan Shern, 21, were involved in the scheme in which Tan provided the funds necessary for Chung to bet on a VALORANT match that he later purposefully lost, as was first reported by The Straits Times.
Tan and Chung have been gaming partners for six years, and in August 2020, Tan reportedly borrowed $740 (S$1,000) from Chung. However, Tan was reportedly unable to repay the loan because of gambling losses. If you need more information about VALORANT pro player jailed for 4 months for match-fixing in the tournament, then read carefully, and don’t forget to share with your friends,
Tan transferred the funds to Chung after borrowing an additional $2,216 (S$3,000) from his brother to recoup the initial investment. The money was reportedly used by Chung to wager five times against his team in a forthcoming professional VALORANT match.
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Chung led the VALORANT team for RSG Resurgence Esports in the Epulze Royal SEA Cup, a $25,000 prize pool event that was a part of the VALORANT Ignition series, in September 2020. In this competition, his team lost every map they played, finishing last in their group and losing to Vision Strikers, who they had previously defeated 102 times in a row.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor David Menon, Chung “deliberately underperformed and instructed his teammates to underperform as well” in the game against BlackBird Ignis, which RSG lost 0-2 with map scores of 10-13 and 5-13. Three players from the current IGZIST roster, which placed seventh in split two of the VALORANT Challengers Japan 2023 competition, were on BlackBird.
The duo received a payout of $5,187 (S$7,019) from the scheme, of which $2,697 (S$3,650) was returned to Tan’s brother. A friend of Tan received $480 (S$650) and Chung kept $2,000 (S$2,719).
In June 2021, the COO of Resurgence filed a police report regarding possible match-fixing, which revealed this. Following the accusation of corruption against both parties on August 5, Tan entered a plea of guilty on January 5 and Chung was found guilty on May 26.
Tan was mandated to complete “reformative training” for at least six months, while Chung was sentenced to four months in jail. Reformative training, a type of rehabilitative sentencing frequently given to addicts, entails being imprisoned in a facility with a very strict work and diet schedule.
This is the second time a VALORANT professional from the Pacific region has been arrested for match-fixing in less than a year after a very similar case in the Australian scene, even though most esports match-fixing investigations are handled within the scene by tournament organizers.
Ty “junglew0w” O’Donnell, a player for Team Bliss, threw a game intentionally while competing in the LPL Legends Autumn Cup in July 2021 after placing a bet with his friend Eli Clarke. The plan brought in $4,500 (7,000 AUD) for the team.
The Australian duo was sentenced to a 12-month “good behavior bond,” required to repay the money to betting company Ladbrokes, and made donations to charitable organizations that assist problem gamblers despite being found guilty in September 2022. This punishment was significantly less severe than that in the case involving Tan and Chung.
For the match-fixing offenses, Riot Games has not publicly banned any of the involved players from competitive play or the general game. But neither athlete has played professionally in over a year.
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