ESIC has turned playN’s three-year ban into a lifetime ban, one day after sanctioning five NOMERCY players for match-fixing. The reason: social media posts showing what ESIC calls “apparent cash and other proceeds of financial crime”.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has imposed lifetime ineligibility on Palkovics “playN” Tamás, who ESIC lists as “2xplayN”. He was one of five NOMERCY players banned on Thursday for manipulating four matches at Roman Imperium Cup VII in Portugal in March. He originally received three years, the shortest ban in the case alongside srtn1, with a return date in April 2029.
What the posts showed
According to ESIC, the new decision concerns “a series of public posts” in which playN displayed apparent cash and other proceeds of financial crime “alongside comments about match-manipulation findings, betting payouts and a return to competition”. The posts came after his first sanction was published.
ESIC did not say which posts it meant. A now deleted post by playN, captured in a screenshot by NarT, appears to show the player holding a large amount of cash with the caption “2029 we back to Roman Imperium Cup”, according to HLTV.
ESIC called the conduct “an egregious breach which created the appearance of improper conduct” under its Code of Conduct and its Anti-Corruption Code. The commission was also careful about what it did not find:
For abundant clarity, this decision does not find, from the photographs alone, that the money nor proceeds depicted were match-fixing proceeds.
No discount this time
playN’s first ban was the mildest in the case for a reason. ESIC credited his “detailed responses, financial and communications production, continued engagement, youth and relative lack of experience”. That counted for nothing in the new decision. ESIC wrote that his earlier assistance was considered, “but did not excuse subsequent misconduct”, and that no cooperation-based reduction was applied.
The lifetime ban replaces the three-year exclusion. It covers ESIC and member competitions “in any capacity”, not just playing. ESIC will also refer the conduct to Valve, government agencies and law enforcement.
The commission used the decision to send a message to every banned player:
A fixed-term ban provides no immunity from further enforcement. Participants remain accountable for serious integrity breaches during suspension.
The NOMERCY bans now
| Player | Ban | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Oliver “kzy” Heck | Lifetime | None |
| Palkovics “playN” Tamás | Lifetime | Up from 3 years |
| János “James8k” Fodor | 5 years | None |
| Petar “perakokanje” Bešir | 5 years | None |
| Sreten “srtn1” Smiljanić | 3 years | None |
The case started with a bet. ESIC said betting intelligence flagged a high-value combination wager on NOMERCY losing all four of their Bo1 matches on 28 March by at least ten rounds. They lost to BETBOOM 13-0, Sangal 13-3, BESTIA 13-1 and Wildcard 13-1.
