Esports Integrity Commission

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC), formerly the Esports Integrity Coalition, is a non-profit members' association established in 2016 to promote and facilitate competitive integrity in esports.

Esports Integrity Commission
FormerlyEsports Integrity Coalition
Founded2016
Headquarters
Key people
Ian Smith (Commissioner)
ServicesPreventing corruption in esports.
Websiteesic.gg

History

The organization was founded by Ian Smith as the "Esports Integrity Coalition" in 2016 before rebranding in 2019.[1][2] Smith had been an attorney working in sports regulation law before he was brought into the Global Offensive scene to investigate skin gambling.[1] His recognition of the lack of regulatory bodies in the scene led to the founding of ESIC.[1]

Services

The commission works to investigate and prevent all forms of match fixing, cheating,[1][3] and use of doping,[4] most recently investigating the coaching bug in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.[5][6] The commission only employs five full-time workers and works by partnering with several betting websites and tournament organizers. The results of investigations are passed on to the organizers, who enforce the sanctions recommended by ESIC.[7]

Criticism

Although ESIC received plaudits for the CS:GO coaching bug investigation, the organization has also been criticized for a perceived lack of expertise about the games it regulates.[8] According to The Washington Post, unnamed critics have described the organization as "underfunded". ESIC doing its work mostly hidden from the public has also caused "public speculation [to curdle] into skepticism".[7]

ESIC was criticized in December 2022 by the CS:GO community when it lifted Nicolai "HUNDEN" Petersen's two-year ban early after a "constructive engagement between the two parties".[9] HUNDEN was banned by ESIC in August 2021 after he leaked the strategy folder of Heroic, the team he was coaching, to other teams during IEM Cologne 2021.[10]

References
  1. Lewis, Richard. "Richard Lewis at the ESIC, "Money flooding into sports has, naturally, brought with it corruption at all levels"". VPEsports. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  2. Fitch, Adam (17 September 2019). "Esports Integrity Coalition rebrands to Esports Integrity Commission - ESI". Esports Insider. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. "Who We Are – ESIC". esic.gg. Archived from the original on 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  4. Higgins, Chris (July 7, 2016). "Does ESIC have the teeth to enforce esports integrity?". Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via www.pcgamer.com.
  5. "CS:GO coaches banned from major esports series". September 29, 2020. Archived from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
  6. "Spectator bug use nets 37 CS:GO coach suspensions". September 29, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
  7. Mikhail Klimentov (23 August 2021). "As esports watchdog tackles widespread match-fixing, critics fear it can't do the job". The Washington Post.
  8. "DeKay: A Look Inside an Up-And-Down Year for the ESIC". dbltap.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  9. "CS:GO Community Reacts to ESIC Lifting HUNDEN's Ban". HLTV. 3 December 2022.
  10. "HUNDEN to serve two-year ban following ESIC probe". Field Level Media. 27 August 2021 – via Reuters.
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