A dark day for Mongolian Counter-Strike with seven individuals banned for breaches of integrity.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has banned several Mongolian CS2 players from ATOX for their involvement with an underground Chinese betting syndicate that saw over 70 transactions — some of which saw the team commit match-fixing and other breaches of integrity.
Seven individuals from the ATOX squad received bans, with some suspected of match-fixing as far back as 2024. High-profile Mongolian players Gan-Erdene "dobu" Batbold and Bat-Enkh "kabal" Batbayar, Counter-Strike veterans with careers spanning over a decade, were handed lifetime bans from the esport.
Two players banned for life; five others restricted in ATOX match-fixing rout
ESIC handed down its findings on May 15 with a 15-page report detailing an extensive investigation into suspicious betting surrounding the ATOX squad. The report states allegations against ATOX were received back in late 2024, specifically during an ESL Pro League Season 20 match between ATOX and Falcons.
A deeper dive into bets placed on that match revealed further evidence incriminating ATOX, with ESIC suspending the players on March 5 indefinitely. Major tournament organizers ESL, BLAST, and PGL sided with the commission.
Two and a half months on, ESIC now has the full breadth of the misconduct — and it ran deeper than many believed. Ultimately, the commission has found evidence of deep-rooted match-fixing conducted by ATOX players and staff outside of EPL S20 that was "linked to organized crime syndicates originating in China."
Dobu and kabal, two stalwarts of the Mongolian scene, were found to have spearheaded the operation. According to ESIC, the pair collaborated in "match manipulation strategies and bets" and sent money to teammates to buy their silence. Both have been handed lifetime bans.
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A lifetime ban was also handed to ATOX analyst Ana-Erdene “nuka” Baasantogtokh who placed the majority of the 70 bets, and "provided false or misleading in-game tactics to ensure results aligned with corrupt betting interests."
Other ATOX players Temuulen “MiQ” Byambadalai, Otgonlkhagva “AccuracyTG” Batjargal, and Munkhsaikhan “Zesta” Erdenebaatar copped bans between eight months and a year for failing to disclose details of match-fixing, while coach and chief executive officer Tuguldur “flyNN” Gansuk was banned for three years for negligence.
"Any and all knowledge of or involvement in corrupt betting must be reported immediately
to ESIC to prevent further harm to the competitive ecosystem," the commission said in a statement. "Failure to report is not excusable."
ESIC states the dobu, kabal, and nuka submitted confessions once evidence was seen, with phone calls, voice recordings, and chat logs all proving the team guilty.
Tuvshintugs "Annihilation" Nyamdorj and Yalalt "yAmi" Oyunbileg were the only members of the squad that went unpunished, but ESIC added the pair were under investigation of a "Related Participant Investigation" alongside Chinese player Song “xiaosaGe” Peng.
ATOX was not permitted to play in any major tournament from February onwards. It's a dark day for the Mongolian scene, especially given dobu and kabal were two of the region's pioneers — the pair rose to prominence as members of TheMongolZ back in 2016.
The full ESIC report can be viewed here. For more CS2 news stay tuned to esports.gg.
