Riot Games has revealed the results of an investigation into cheating and match-fixing allegations, claiming there is ‘no evidence’ of cheating, manipulation or misconduct.
The update from Riot came after Shopify Rebellion’s General Manager Sean ‘sgares’ Gares claimed he found proof of ‘underground gambling rings’ in the Tier 2 North American VALORANT scene after an undercover investigation.
In a video statement on the matter, sgares discussed the alleged match-fixing and gambling within the Tier 2 VALORANT scene after previously leaving it for being ‘rotten to the core.’ According to sgares, North American VALORANT players have ‘become desperate’ for more cash, resulting in some unsavory behaviour.
sgares didn’t give any specific player names.
Riot Responds to NA Challengers Matchfixing Allegations
On July 30th, Riot put out a statement to address the rumours swirling around regarding Tier 2 VALORANT esports. In collaboration with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), and integrity partners like GRID and Sportradar, Riot conducted an investigation into the allegations and has found ‘no evidence.’
Riot’s internal teams, including the Anti-Cheat and Competitive Operations teams, reviewed gameplay from previous tournaments, including the match between Blue Otter and Shopify Rebellion that had been mentioned by sgares. NO suspicious activity was found.
Riot’s integrity partners then reviewed betting market activities that took place during the 2025 NA Challengers League Stage 1 and 2 games and checked betting slip screenshots that went viral on social media. Both of these investigations also came up with nothing suspicious.
Riot also mentioned claims on social media that suggested a Riot employee was involved with the match-fixing. The official statement read: “Despite multiple attempts to gather information and/or evidence supporting these claims, no evidence or credible information was ever provided.”
After all of this extensive research, Riot claimed there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to support claims of cheating or match-fixing by teams, any players or staff. However, it will keep an eye out for anything suspicious regarding the situation.
“Whistleblowers play a critical role in protecting fair play and promoting accountability across our esports leagues. Riot Games encourages all members of the esports community to report suspected integrity violations in good faith,” Riot concluded.
