VCT Pacific pro issued ban for match-fixing: Korean player suspended 12 months

In a significant competitive integrity enforcement, Riot Games has suspended VALORANT professional player Seungmin “ban” Oh for twelve months following an investigation into match-fixing allegations. The ruling, issued after a comprehensive investigation, represents one of the most serious disciplinary actions taken in the VALORANT Champions Tour ecosystem to date.

The 25-year-old Korean player, who was competing for Global Esports at the time of the incident, engaged with individuals proposing match manipulation for the VCT Pacific 2025 match between Global Esports and Team Secret on July 19, 2025. While ban maintained he never intended to actually fix the match, Riot Games determined that his engagement with the proposal itself constituted a violation of the Riot Games Esports Global Code of Conduct.

The Match-Fixing Allegations

The controversy began when Riot Games became aware of online posts on August 27, 2025, containing unverified screenshots that appeared to show private messages discussing match-fixing within VCT Pacific. The allegations specifically concerned the Global Esports versus Team Secret match that had taken place roughly five weeks earlier on July 19, 2025.

According to their report, Riot Games immediately appointed Sportradar, a leading sports integrity and monitoring organization, to conduct a thorough investigation. This involved comprehensive interviews with all relevant persons of interest and witnesses, concluding on November 18, 2025, nearly three months after the initial allegations surfaced.

Per Riot’s findings, while the investigation could not conclusively verify the authenticity of the circulated screenshots, information gathered through witness testimonies and document review indicated that ban had engaged in match-fixing related activities. Specifically, the player had engaged with individuals seeking to arrange match manipulation and entertained their proposals, including discussing financial terms for fixing the match outcome.

Rather than immediately declining the approach and reporting it to tournament officials, as required by the Global Code of Conduct, ban continued the conversation and negotiated the proposed terms. This engagement alone, regardless of whether the manipulation was ultimately carried out, constituted a violation of competitive integrity rules.

The Investigation and Ruling

Riot Games initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against ban on December 3, 2025, providing him with the opportunity to submit a statement in his defense. Ban responded with a written statement on December 10, 2025, in which he claimed he did not intend to underperform or actually fix the outcome of the match in question.

To verify these claims, Riot Games conducted a detailed competitive performance evaluation of ban’s play during the July 19 match against Team Secret. The evaluation examined objective gameplay data, kill/death/assist statistics, and other contextual factors to determine whether ban had deliberately underperformed.

The competitive performance evaluation, when assessed alongside additional corroborating evidence and witness testimonies gathered during the Sportradar investigation, was insufficient to conclusively establish that ban did intentionally underperform or attempt to manipulate the match outcome. However, under Articles 4.14 (Match-Fixing or Manipulation) and 5.9 (Intent) of the Global Code of Conduct, a violation can occur regardless of a player’s intent.

Riot Games emphasized in its ruling that ‘engaging with individuals who propose match manipulation and agreeing to their terms to fix a match, is in itself a violation, whether or not the manipulation is ultimately carried out. Participation in such discussions, even without plans to act on them, breaches the Global Code of Conduct.’

Mitigating Factors and Sentencing

Significantly, Riot Games noted that ban self-reported the incident to his team management before being contacted by Riot Games. Although this disclosure occurred after the match in question had concluded, its timing, before disciplinary proceedings began, was treated as a meaningful mitigating circumstance. This proactive self-reporting likely prevented a more severe penalty.

As a result of the investigation and findings, ban has been suspended from participating in all Riot-sanctioned competitions for twelve months, effective immediately from the date of the ruling. This suspension applies to all Riot Games titles and events, not just VALORANT.

Additionally, ban is required to complete educational training focused on integrity and ethics within competitive environments, whether esports or traditional sports, prior to re-entry into the Riot Games esports ecosystem. The training must be provided by an independent and reputable third-party service provider that is unaffiliated with ban, and must receive prior written approval from league officials. He must also provide evidence of completion.

Failure to comply with these training requirements before seeking re-entry may result in further disciplinary actions against both ban and any team he joins in the future.

Industry Implications

By sanctioning ban not just for match-fixing itself, but for engaging with match-fixing proposals, Riot has sent a clear message that any involvement in discussions about manipulating competitive outcomes will be treated seriously, particularly following intense discourse on the subject in May when community figure Sean Gares alleged that match fixing was present in the scene. While ban’s engagement with match-fixers warranted significant punishment, his decision to disclose the incident to team management before being contacted by investigators likely reduced what could have been an even longer suspension or permanent ban.

The ruling is final and cannot be appealed, though Riot Games noted that if new, substantive evidence comes to light, it may warrant a review of the matter at the league’s discretion. Ban will be eligible to return to competitive VALORANT in December 2026, provided he completes the required integrity training.

A Veteran’s Journey Through VALORANT

Ban’s career in competitive VALORANT spans nearly five years, beginning in early 2021 when he joined Team Serenity. The Korean player quickly made his mark on the North American scene, moving through several organizations including Luminosity Gaming, Squirtle Squad, and the Pittsburgh Knights.

His breakthrough came when he joined T1 in August 2022, where he earned a third-place finish at the VCT 2023 Pacific League and a qualification to Masters Tokyo. In November 2023, ban transferred to TALON Esports, where he spent over a year competing in VCT Pacific events. His tenure with TALON included a fourth-place finish at VCT 2024 Pacific Stage 2 and qualification for Champions 2024.

Following his release from TALON in February 2025, ban signed with Global Esports on May 15, 2025, but left the organization after the season concluded.