Valorant NA Cheating Scandal: Riot Accused of Bribery and Underfunding

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Various individuals within the Valorant community have come forth claiming that the North American tier 2 competitive scene is riddled with fixed games and cheaters. They’ve even accused a member of Riot Games, the company behind Valorant, of facilitating players to employ in-game hacks without facing detection.

The primary sources of this information are well-known caster and community figure, Sean Gares, and Multi-Functional Host (MrFunHaver), who provided extensive details during a two-hour live broadcast.

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve learned that Riot Games is delving deep into an issue without disclosing the particular teams or individuals implicated. This cautionary measure is taken to prevent any misdirected accusations from being hurled at the innocent parties.

To be honest, there’s a wealth of insights to be gained from what Sean Gares and MFH shared, given their contrasting perspectives on the subject. I find myself intrigued by their exchange, as it offers diverse viewpoints that enrich my understanding.

NA Valorant tier 2 accused of being “underground gambling ring”

Sean Gares released a short statement following the accusations made by MrFunHaver. He mentioned that he had been looking into this issue for some time, but decided to address it publicly now mainly because of the recent discussions initiated by MFH.

— Sean Gares (@seangares) May 16, 2025

According to Gares, the system is tainted. This involves match-fixing, dishonest practices, secretive betting operations, and individuals earning large sums of money from manipulated games.

He expressed that several teams in the second tier are “extremely eager,” often relying on unconventional methods to generate income. The potential earnings from wagering on matches far exceeds what can be gained through traditional victories.

In some situations, individuals are being paid large sums of money, often to manipulate games or even manipulate ranked matches. Once involved, it’s a predicament that is hard to escape, as they can potentially threaten you with blackmail for an indefinite period. This is the nature of the game they play.

He stated that he feels the system tends to penalize those who aren’t actually cheating, rewarding only those who play fairly.

I haven’t got the time right now to discuss what I’ve uncovered. It requires extensive research and could take hours. The depth of this matter is astounding, almost surreal. It’s incredibly frustrating, I must admit. My aim is to exonerate as many people as I can. I want them to be free of any suspicion.

Yet, this video only tells a portion of the tale. He used generalities in his speech because he hadn’t yet made public his investigation, but felt compelled to share it when MrFunHaver discussed the matter live on Twitch.

Sean Gares furious at MrFunHaver for breaking Valorant cheating scandal

Gares came into MrFunHaver’s Twitch chat, furious that he was speaking about the subject.

As a gamer, I’d put it like this: “Dude, you’re totally nailing it with that insight! If only you hadn’t kept quiet all this time while I was struggling with this case for over a week. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate some silence so I can finish what you’ve started.

Sean Gares’ chat history in MFH’s Twitch stream

He repeatedly exchanged views with MFH, arguing that discussing the matter casually wouldn’t offer a solution and might even worsen it. He warned ominously, “You’ll see the consequences when I take decisive action.

MrGentleman persisted, “I don’t owe you a single thing, and what you’re saying currently is barely scratching the surface of the truth.” MisterInquisitive asserted his unawareness that an investigation was underway beyond Riot and expressed his regret to him.

MFH claims that Gares went into his DMs after leaving the stream and sent him this message:

You’re acting foolishly and recklessly, and it’s beyond comprehension why you would say something so detrimental during a live stream. You seem to lack understanding that your actions are jeopardizing an investigation. I sincerely hope your entire team suffers the consequences of your thoughtless words.

For a comprehensive understanding of their discussion, I’ve provided a timestamped video recording along with the chat log, which captures all aspects of their interaction that spanned multiple minutes on each side.

So, what did MFH actually have to say?

Riot accused of being paid off to enable cheating

MrFunHaver’s criticisms primarily revolved around concerns about functioning within tier 2, asserting that Riot has been inadequately managing the league and underfunding it excessively. He suggests that these problems are not only contributing factors to the decrease in viewership, but they also supposedly exacerbate gambling issues.

He asserted that individuals direct messaged him and his team with proposals to pay them for manipulating the game, offering amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Upon examining this person’s betting history on these games, it was evident they were earning profits between 20-30 thousand dollars. The astounding part is that the offers were for hundreds of thousands of dollars – it’s almost unbelievable.

In leagues where some players struggle financially due to inadequate compensation, the potential rewards for cheating become significantly greater – a scenario that unfortunately was faced by Vietnam’s professional League of Legends (LoL) league in 2024.

In his live broadcast, the most significant revelation centered around allegations levied against Riot Games themselves.

According to him, a Riot employee who holds a significant position within the anti-cheat team is allegedly accepting bribes to allow individuals to cheat.

There are some players who are deceitfully manipulating the game’s rules, and certain Riot staff members are aware of this. However, these employees are receiving compensation for choosing not to address the issue.

Additionally, even though MFH didn’t suspect any team in tier 1 Valorant was cheating, the act that the victorious team from the Challengers league advances to tier 1 casts doubt on the authenticity of the teams truly qualifying for this higher level.

He made several additional criticisms against Riot Games and their management style, arguing that insufficient funding impacts the whole esports league significantly and contributes to the root cause of this problem.

He asserted that certain side streams for Challengers matches were not managed by live human operators, but were instead automated systems featuring an AI-controlled replay client. This setup, according to him, made the streams unappealing or difficult to watch because they lacked human interaction and decision-making.

Additionally, MFH stated that Riot Games only manages to cover the prize pool for the second tier, while very little funding is allocated towards the teams or the longevity of the league.

Given the uncertainty surrounding Riot, the tournament organizers, and the Challengers series as a whole, it’s not advisable to put your funds into it.

While both men asserted that Riot is privately looking into the issue, Riot has remained silent about it publicly.

Though both men said that Riot is examining the problem within their organization, Riot has not spoken up publicly on this topic yet.

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2025-05-16 20:20