Five Australians charged following CS:GO match-fixing investigation

Charges have been laid against five Australians following a police investigation into Counter-Strike: Global Offensive match fixing. This follows an initial arrest of six players back in August, when it was alleged they had thrown matches to gain winnings from bets they placed on them.

According to the Victoria Police statement, four 20-year-olds and a 27-year-old have been charged with "use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes". This offence can result in up to ten years imprisonment in Australia. The five will face court on September 15.

One of the alleged offenders has also been charged with engaging in "conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome of an event or event contingency," as well as cannabis possession.

The ABC also reported last year that Australia's Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit had been investigating links between organised crime and an unnamed Australian-based Overwatch team.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.