Law enforcement officers have shut down groups whose members bribed or forced players to lose matches in e-sports, table tennis, and football. Thus, knowing the results in advance, the perpetrators “earned” on bets.
Cyber police officers and investigators of the National Police, under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office and with the assistance of the National Platform for Sports Integrity, coordinated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, have exposed several criminal groups. The suspects organized match-fixing in cyber football, cyber basketball, table tennis, football, and basketball in order to further obtain illegal benefits through bookmakers.
To expand their influence among esports players, attract more online fans and cash bets, organizers enlisted the support of famous people who had achieved success in real sports. Thanks to this, online broadcasts of «custom» matches on the Internet could be watched by tens of thousands of people simultaneously.
Some of the group's members, former world-class athletes, used connections they had acquired over the years of their professional activities to organize "fixed" matches between cybersportsmen from Australia, Europe, and Ukraine.
Thus, as a result of international cooperation with Australian law enforcement agencies, information was obtained regarding the illegal activities of the individuals involved in this country.
Police found that the defendants used bribery, coercion, intimidation, and incitement to force players to deliberately lose their online matches.
To put pressure on the participants of the competition, the attackers used various methods. In some cases, they involved people of athletic build who had previously been convicted of property crimes to intimidate the athletes, including using weapons. So far, about 10 players have been identified who were affected in this way. Sometimes they offered a monetary reward for "draining" matches.
Knowing the future outcome of the game, the attackers personally or through proxies placed bets on the resources of bookmakers registered in countries in Asia, Europe, Australia, and America. According to preliminary estimates, the profits from such activities could amount to millions of hryvnias.
The accused laundered the illegally obtained funds by purchasing and reselling luxury cars, real estate, and other assets. Financial transactions were carried out through crypto wallets.
Law enforcement officers, with the force support of the TacTeam special unit of the TOR battalion of the Patrol Police Department, conducted 45 simultaneous searches throughout Ukraine in cars, at the registration and residence addresses of the suspects and their possible accomplices. Physical evidence of criminal activity was seized. Cyber police officers also recorded digital evidence of the illegal activities of the attackers, despite the fact that some of the suspects tried to hide or destroy the gadgets belonging to them.
Investigative actions are being carried out within the framework of criminal proceedings initiated under Part 5 of Article 190 (Fraud), Part 3 of Article 203-2 (Illegal activities in the organization or conduct of gambling, lotteries), Part 1, 3 of Article 369-3 (Unlawful influence on the results of official sports competitions), Part 4 of Article 189 (Extortion) and Part 3 of Article 209 (Legalization (laundering) of property obtained by crime).
The maximum penalty under these articles is up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Currently, National Police investigators have charged one of the organizers of "fixed" games with suspicion of illegally influencing the results of official sports competitions.
Investigative actions are ongoing to identify all members of the criminal group, including those abroad, to establish the number of victims and the final amount of damage caused. Additional legal qualification is possible.
