The Esports Integrity Commission has announced a wave of bans targeting members of European mix team NOMERCY following a comprehensive investigation into match manipulation at the Roman imperium VIII tournament held in Portugal.
ESIC's findings reveal that NOMERCY deliberately lost all four group stage matches in a calculated pattern designed to hit a complex betting parlay. The team's losses were structured to satisfy a specific handicap requirement of losing by 9.5 rounds or more across each best-of-one match in their group.
The investigation uncovered evidence of a pre-planned betting strategy involving a four-leg parlay wager. Although ESIC refrained from disclosing exact financial figures, social media posts circulating widely showed that an $85,000 bet matching these conditions could have yielded an astronomical $4.5 million payout. The bookmaker ultimately voided the wager, according to RTP Arena.
The severity of the potential financial gain and threat to competitive integrity prompted ESIC to impose interim suspensions in April before launching their full investigation.
German player Oliver "kzy" Heck emerged as the central figure in the scheme. ESIC identified him as the operation's architect based on his leadership position, involvement in map veto decisions, in-game actions, and refusal to cooperate with investigators. The 36-year-old veteran, who previously competed for mousesports, EURONICS, and ALTERNATE aTTaX, received a permanent ban.
Additional suspensions include János "James8k" Fodor and Petar "perakokanje" Bešir banned until April 2031, while Palkovics "playN" Tamás and Sreten "srtn1" Smiljanić face bans through April 2029.
