ESIC Issues Lifetime Ban to 2xplayN, Refers Conduct to Police
The Esports Integrity Commission upgraded a three-year suspension after the player posted images of cash following his initial sanction.
The Esports Integrity Commission has imposed a lifetime ban on Counter-Strike 2 player Palkovics '2xplayN' Tamás and plans to refer his conduct to law enforcement.
The commission upgraded his original three-year suspension after he made social media posts following the initial sanctions announcement on October 15.
"The commission also said it planned to refer the sanctioned conduct to law enforcement and other bodies," ESIC said.
The decision followed a post showing what appeared to be stacks of cash, published shortly after the original sanctions were announced.
ESIC said the later ruling considered a series of public posts that referred to apparent cash, match manipulation, betting payouts and a return to competition.
It found the conduct created the appearance of impropriety under its rules, though it clarified the photographs alone did not prove the money came from match-fixing.
The change removed a cooperation-based reduction that had contributed to the original three-year sanction, which was set to run until April 2029.
ESIC said 2xplayN had cooperated with investigators and provided financial records during the inquiry, but found this earlier assistance did not excuse conduct during his suspension.
The inquiry concerned four NOMERCY team defeats in March 2026, which ESIC linked to an accumulator bet with a potential payout exceeding $4.5 million.
The bookmaker reportedly voided the wager before any winnings were paid.
The lifetime sanction places 2xplayN alongside former teammate Oliver 'kzy' Heck, who also received a lifetime ban in the original case.
ESIC said it planned to refer the conduct to Valve, government agencies and law enforcement.
Its lifetime ruling excludes 2xplayN from ESIC and member competitions in any capacity, ending the comeback timeline attached to his original suspension.
Redington Cybersport reported in October that ESIC upgraded the match-fixing ban to lifetime after the player posted cash stacks, calling the conduct an 'egregious breach' of its rules.
