Cheating in esports: a review of the “emilshe1n” decision and the role of ESIC in esports regulation
This article was updated on 5 August 2021 to include reference to the successful appeal by Emilsh1en to the sanction discussed in this article.
On 30 April 2020 ESL[1], a major esports tournament organiser, and its nominated integrity regulator, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC)[2], issued a seven month ban against Emil Mamedov for his conduct in a CS:GO[3] competition match held two days prior. Mamedov, who goes by the screen name EmilShe1n, was a member of team VAC which was facing off against team nerdRage on playday 7 of ESL’s CS:GO Premiership Spring tournament[4]. A recording of the match can be found here[5], and a link to the ESIC/ESL press release can be found here[6].
This article:
- reviews the facts of case;
- provides a brief overview of ESIC’s disciplinary process; and
- analyses the decision.
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- Tags: Anti-Corruption | Betting | Cheating | CS:GO | Disciplinary | Dispute Resolution | ESIC Code of Conduct | ESL | ESL Premiership Rulebook | Esports | Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) | Regulation
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Written by
Daniel Kozelko
Daniel practises from 39 Essex Chambers and has a particular interest in eSports issues.
He has significant experience in commercial and civil disputes. This includes assisting in multi-million pound contract and construction claims in the High Court, in arbitral proceedings, and appearing in the High Court on civil and regulatory disputes.
Daniel also has an interest in disciplinary proceedings, having worked on a number of matters for a variety of regulators. Daniel is an avid gamer, with a particular interest in MMORPGs, grand strategy, and FPSs. He looks forward to bringing his gaming knowledge to eSports and video game disputes.
