The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced a five-year ban for Chinese esports figure Jinhui “Jim” Cao after he submitted an early guilty plea to multiple charges arising from a major match-fixing investigation involving the StarCraft II competitive scene.
Cao admitted to 21 violations of ESIC’s Integrity Program, covering both its Anti-Corruption Code and Code of Conduct. The infractions include placing or facilitating bets on matches in which he held prior knowledge of the outcome, as well as inducing fellow Chinese player Xue “Firefly” Tao to deliberately underperform in several fixtures.
According to ESIC, Cao transferred approximately ¥97,800 CNY (roughly $13,600 USD) to Firefly in connection with manipulated results, including payments made shortly after specific matches that were flagged as suspicious. Evidence presented in the investigation included chat logs, financial records, betting slips, and gameplay data.
One WeChat conversation dated August 2024 appears to show Cao pressuring Firefly for further payments after previously wiring significant sums. The conversation, coupled with financial records, helped to build a case of systematic corruption and profit-sharing.
Cao’s early admission and partial cooperation led to a reduced sanction of five years, effective immediately. The ban prevents him from participating in any ESIC member event in any role, including player, coach, manager, broadcast talent, or support staff.
This disciplinary action is part of a broader case which includes a lifetime ban issued to Firefly one week earlier, after he was found to have colluded extensively with another individual, Gao “Jim” Mengwei, to rig match results and profit from betting outcomes between April and August 2024.
In its July 8 report, ESIC detailed that Mengwei operated multiple betting accounts and placed high-stakes, precise wagers on Firefly to lose, often with correct scoreline predictions. Mengwei reportedly achieved an 83% success rate in these bets, with one instance earning him over ¥32,000 CNY following Firefly’s 3-0 loss to Bunny during the Esports World Cup 2024 Qualifiers.
The Commission reiterated the severity of the breaches, stating that the actions posed a “serious threat to the competitive integrity of esports.” It urged individuals with knowledge of suspicious or corrupt activity to report through its official channels.
