ESL Lifts Lifetime Ban on Former Match-Fixers

Esports organization ESL, the folks who run and manage one of the biggest Counter-Strike leagues in the world, has recently rewritten many of its rules and regulations regarding the punishments and sanctions that the company will employ when dealing with cheaters, rule-breakers, substance abusers, and more. This effort, spearheaded by a group of concerned eSports players who thought the current attitude of "One strike, lifetime ban" was a bit too much, has resulted in a number of lifetime bans formerly issued by ESL against match-fixers from the team known as iBuyPower (ironically) to be lifted, allowing all four of the former players on that team to once again join the ESL to participate in tournaments. 

They received their lifetime ban back in 2015, after being accused of throwing a match against NetCodeGuides by eSport journalist Richard Lewis. Valve backed his statement, and all four players got lifetime bans that, of course, were long from expiring as only two years have passed. However, there has been pressure since the very beginning by other eSport professionals to ease up on their punishment, and now, thanks to their efforts, that's exactly what's going to happen.

Unless the tournament is being hosted by Valve. They still list those players as banned, and the ESL takes backseat to that ruling.

Anyway, nowadays if you're caught match-fixing, you're going to void the results of the match, as well as receive a five-year ban unless significant mitigating factors in line with the ESIC Anti-Corruption Code, or, in the presence of aggravating circumstances, a longer ban, a forfeiture of prize money and monetary fine, and of course disqualification from the tournament if it's still going on.

Still pretty hefty, and a five-year ban might as well be a lifetime ban for some eSports players, given how quickly age diminishes your ability to compete, but it is certainly more lenient. Interestingly, though, it's still a far more severe punishment than if you were caught cheating (2 year ban in some cases, plus a fine, but it can go up to a lifetime ban in extreme cases), doping (2 year ban at max, and prize forfeiture), or bribery (voiding the results, 2 year ban).

Still. Don't cheat, people. You can't rely on the ESL to keep rewriting its laws and removing your ban. Just play your video game professionally you silly Billy's.