In an incredibly ironic turn of events, Korean Valorant star Seungmin “ban” Oh has been handed a temporary ban from competing at Riot Games events following an investigation into matchfixing allegations.

In recent years, ban has been a mainstay in the VCT, having competed in both North America and the Pacific region, though he never really broke into the highest echelons of competition in either region.

However, he won’t have the opportunity to improve on that fact in the next 12 months, as he has been banned by Riot Games for violating their Code of Conduct regarding match integrity.

ban Hit With 12 Month Ban For Matchfixing

The ruling stems from Ban’s conduct surrounding a VCT Pacific 2025 match between ban’s team, Global Esports, and Team Secret, played on July 19, 2025. Riot determined that ban breached Article 4.14 of the Global Code of Conduct by engaging with individuals who proposed match manipulation, including discussions that involved financial terms.

While ban claimed that he did not intend to carry out the proposed manipulation or deliberately underperform during the match, Riot stated that intent is not required for a violation to occur. Under the Code, merely entertaining proposals or engaging in discussions related to match-fixing constitutes a breach, regardless of whether manipulation is ultimately carried out.

The investigation began on August 27, 2025, after Riot became aware of online posts containing unverified screenshots allegedly discussing match-fixing within VCT Pacific. Riot appointed Sportradar to conduct an independent investigation, which included interviews with relevant parties and witnesses, concluding on November 18, 2025.

Although Riot said it could not conclusively verify the authenticity of the screenshots or prove that ban intentionally manipulated the match, witness testimony and supporting evidence indicated engagement in match-fixing-related activity. A competitive performance review of ban’s gameplay was also conducted, but did not establish deliberate underperformance.

ban’s Punishment

Disciplinary proceedings were formally initiated on December 3, 2025, with ban submitting a written response the following week. Riot cited ban’s self-reporting of the incident to team management prior to disciplinary action as a mitigating factor when determining the sanction.

As a result, ban is suspended from all Riot-sanctioned competitions for 12 months with immediate effect and must complete an approved integrity and ethics training program before re-entering the esports ecosystem. Riot confirmed the ruling is final, though it may be reviewed if new substantive evidence emerges.