“No Conclusive Evidence” Riot Games concludes VALORANT NA Challengers Investigation
Approximately two months ago, North American VALORANT talent Sean Gares released a video exposing the NA Challengers circuit, alleging the existence of betting rings, match-fixing, and more. In response to Sean and other community members' allegations, Riot Games announced a thorough investigation into the claims.
Last night, Riot Games announced the completion of their investigation, revealing they found no conclusive evidence to substantiate any violations of competitive integrity.
Sean Gares’ Exposé and NA Challengers Allegations
On May 25th, approximately a week after his initial statements, exposing alleged violations of competitive integrity within NA Challengers.
The core allegations were:
- Match-fixing and betting rings
- Players and organizations throwing official matches
- Money upwards of $100k involved in Tier 2 games
- The alleged involvement of a Riot employee
Since then, Sean has moved away from VALORANT, citing "limited opportunities."
Riot Games' Investigation: “No Conclusive Evidence”
Although Riot had already initiated an investigation prior to Sean’s video, they did not comment on the "proof" presented in the exposé. For many in the community, the evidence Sean shared seemed compelling. As a result, there was an expectation that Riot’s findings would align with his.
However, Riot Games concluded:
- After reviewing flagged matches and related accounts, no suspicious activity was found.
- No suspicious betting market patterns were identified across the 2025 NA Challengers games.
- The source of the alleged betting slip could not be verified and was therefore not deemed credible.
- No evidence of feed misuse was uncovered.
- Claims of Riot employee involvement lacked credible evidence—no misconduct was identified.
In conclusion, Riot stated there wasn’t enough evidence to support the allegations. In their official statement, they urged individuals to avoid illicit behavior, preserve potential evidence, and report any suspected incidents promptly. Read the complete statement here.
No Wrongdoing?
Crypto-based throwing, betting, and other illicit behavior have been notable issues within casual North American VALORANT matchmaking. Even if some of that has trickled into Tier 2, punishing individuals without concrete evidence isn't a viable or ethical solution—especially when livelihoods are at stake.
Hopefully, as the investigation suggests, there was no breach of competitive integrity, and the cases presented by Sean were coincidental rather than criminal.
So unless more incriminating evidence emerges, Riot Games’ conclusion stands.
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Featured image credit: Riot Games