ESIC hands out bans to ATOX players, coach and analyst

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has revealed that they have handed out bans to the ATOX players - dobu, kabal, MiQ, AccuracyTG, Zesta, the team's coach flyNN and analyst nuka for breaching their anti-corruption code following a lengthy investigation into the matter.

The bans range between eight months to lifetime for the players and the staff with dobu, kabal and nuka receiving lifetime banks while MiQ has received a 1-year ban. AccuracyTG and Zesta have been handed an eight month ban while flyNN has been handed a three-year ban. The report revealed that AccuracyTG and Zesta were handed out the least lengthy bans due to them not being apart of the ESL Pro League Season 20 lineup, joining on later in November 2024 and were penalised for failing to report the breaches. The team had yAmi and Annihilation on the roster for the ESL Pro League Season 20 and both were not handed any bans yet by ESIC with ESIC stating that both players are currently under investigation for a separate matter along with former Chinese player xiaosaGe.

The ATOX crew has been punished for being involved in match-fixing and having being involved in more than '70 suspicious wagers' between late 2024 and March 2025. ESIC has stated that ATOX's match-fixing was 'long-running and organised, not opportunistic or limited to a single fixture.'

The revelation from ESIC comes on the back of ATOX were removed from several ESL, BLAST and PGL events in early March 2025. ESIC states that they looked into the ATOX matter after receiving information about match-fixing during ESL Pro League Season 20 with ATOX's lower bracket game against Falcons on September 12, 2025 being the match that raised suspension. ATOX lost to Falcons and exited the tournament in 21st-28th place.

ESIC states that their analyst nuka was the one placing or facilitating the bulk of the '70 suspicious bets' with chat logs showing that nuke 'e disseminated deliberately misleading tactical advice to ensure the on-server events aligned with betting positions.' As per the investigation findings, it is reported that these bets were placed through 'a network of domestic and offshore betting accounts that shared overlapping device IDs, IP addresses, payment instruments and social media credentials with the ATOX team personnel and their immediate associates.'

ESIC's report further states that their sources linked these bets ' back to accounts previously identified by law-enforcement agencies as fronts for China-based organised-crime betting syndicates, underscoring the broader criminal ecosystem in which the ATOX scheme operated.'

Detailed revelations about the reason for each of the seven ATOX members to be banned is as follows:

dobu (Lifetime ban)

• Proved to have spearheaded match-fixing, orchestrating bribes/bets against
  his own team.

• Pressured or deceived teammates into cooperating with manipulated results.

• Facilitated monetary payments to teammates to secure their silence and
  cooperation in corrupt conduct.

• Admitted to engaging in match-fixing behaviours and cooperating with
  organised criminal syndicates based in China during an interview with ESIC.

kabal (Lifetime ban)

• Actively participated in match manipulation strategies and bets, often in collaboration with “dobu”

• Received monetary reward in exchange for not disclosing corrupt conduct

• Facilitated monetary payments to teammates to secure their silence and
  cooperation in corrupt conduct

nuka (Lifetime ban)

• While working as an analyst, placed or facilitated a large number of suspicious bets (over 70) tied to ATOX matches.

• Actively provided false or misleading in-game tactics to ensure results aligned
  with corrupt betting interests.

flyNN (3 year ban)

• Identified as ATOX’s coach and effective CEO, wielding greater oversight.

• Neglected his heightened duty of care to identify or halt known match-fixing,
  enabling wrongdoing to continue.

MiQ (1 year ban)

• Received offers of monetary reward in exchange for silence and non-reporting
  of corrupt conduct.

• Fraudulently failed to report breaches of the ESIC Integrity Program.

AccuracyTG (8 month ban)

• Negligently failed to report breaches of the ESIC Integrity Program

Zesta (8 month ban)

• Negligently failed to report breaches of the ESIC Integrity Program.

You can read in detail about the ESIC investigation into ATOX's match-fixing matter here.