The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has welcomed its latest partner and member in the face of Stake, a global behemoth with a strong and established footprint in the competitive video gaming space.
ESIC welcomes Stake as the latest member of its anti-corruption network
This addition allows ESIC to further consolidate its core mission, which is to guarantee the integrity of esports and ensure that betting markets are fair, transparent, and impartial.
ESIC and Stake will work on underscoring the integrity of professional video gaming, which often involves multi-million-dollar prize pools and has become an important part of the betting ecosystem, making it all the more important to ensure that contests play out fairly and without any manipulation.
Joining in, Stake Director Jarrod Febbraio said: "This partnership formalizesStake's commitment to protecting integrity and transparency across the global esports ecosystem. As the world's leading online-first betting operator, supporting the industry is central to our strategy, and our scale makes this collaboration with ESIC essential to safeguarding its integrity. Together, we're ensuring the ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and trusted by fans and participants worldwide."
Jarod was joined by ESIC CEO Stephen Hanna, who was similarly pleased with the opportunity to further scale the member list with a respected partner such as Stake. Hanna spoke highly of ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter network, which is designed to strengthen the integrity of professional video gaming, with partners such as Stake proving invaluable in achieving this goal.
"Together, we are building a stronger foundation of trust and accountability that supports the sustainable growth of esports worldwide," Hanna wrapped up.
ESIC uses a network of partners to lead probes of its own
Stake is specifically joining as an Anti-Corruption Partner, which means that the operator will be transmitting data and flagging suspicious activity that it sees in betting markets back to ESIC.
From there, ESIC can compare whether other aberrant betting behavior has occurred among its member list, and notify law enforcement, as many countries do not treat esports match-fixing as a form of crime or misdemeanor in the very least.
ESIC has also been conducting investigations in cases of suspected cheating. In October, the commission launched an investigation into Team SENZA.
