Dmytro “nifee” Tediashvili, formerly of Inner Circle Esports, has been hit with a four-year ban from all ESIC member events after an investigation found he deliberately engineered Molotov and incendiary deaths to manipulate proposition betting markets during ESL Pro League Season 22 in October 2025.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) confirmed the sanction, which runs from 21 October 2025 to 20 October 2029, covering participation in any capacity, whether as a player, coach, analyst, manager, or staff member. This wasn’t about throwing rounds or maps. nifee was manipulating isolated in-game incidents to rig specific betting outcomes, and that distinction matters.
What nifee Actually Did
According to ESIC’s investigation, conducted alongside data platform Runestone, nifee repeatedly died to Molotov and incendiary grenades in circumstances that had nothing to do with normal competitive play. These incidents lined up with unusual spikes in betting volume on proposition markets, which are markets that target specific in-game occurrences rather than who wins or loses.
The betting activity flagged by Runestone came from newly created accounts, dormant accounts, and high-value VIP accounts, all of which showed patterns well outside normal baselines for that type of market. Gameplay review backed it up, with analysts identifying repeated instances where nifee unnecessarily walked into fire damage without any competitive justification.
From Denial To Admission
nifee initially denied everything, including through his legal representative. However, following further engagement with ESIC, he eventually admitted to the conduct and cooperated with the broader investigation. That cooperation earned him a reduced sanction. ESIC noted that a five-year ban would have been the standard punishment given the severity of the offence, but the one-year reduction was applied to reflect his eventual admission and assistance.
ESIC also confirmed it is continuing to work with international law enforcement and other integrity partners in relation to additional individuals connected to the scheme. Further enforcement actions may follow, suggesting nifee wasn’t operating alone.
Inner Circle’s Response
Following the public announcement of the ban, Inner Circle Esports released a statement strongly condemning nifee’s actions. The organisation said it considers this kind of misconduct to be “absolutely unacceptable” and that it entered the esports industry to uphold fair play principles.
— Inner Circle (@InCircleEsports) April 1, 2026
Inner Circle revealed that upon receiving the initial alert from ESIC about suspicious activity, they immediately benched nifee and launched their own internal investigation while cooperating with ESIC’s process. The organisation also disclosed a significant piece of business fallout: due to growing doubts about nifee’s integrity, Inner Circle made the preventive decision last autumn to exclude him entirely from the acquisition deal that brought the TNL CS2 roster under the Inner Circle banner.
Read More: ESL Pro League Finals Return to Katowice in 2026
Why Prop Markets Are A Bigger Problem Than You Think
ESIC used this case to publicly flag a growing concern around proposition betting in esports. Unlike traditional match-fixing, where a team needs to lose a map or a series, prop market manipulation only requires a single player to engineer a discrete in-game incident. Nobody else on the server needs to know it’s happening.
The NOMERCY betting situation at Roman Imperium Cup VII is still fresh in the community’s memory, and nifee’s ban is another reminder that where betting markets exist, so do the incentives to exploit them. ESIC stated that it considers prop markets to present an acute integrity risk due to how easily they can be manipulated through isolated incidents.
The Ban In Detail
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Player | Dmytro “nifee” Tediashvili |
| Former Team | Inner Circle Esports |
| Ban Length | Four years |
| Effective Period | 21 October 2025 to 20 October 2029 |
| Original Sanction | Five years (reduced for cooperation) |
| Offence | Match manipulation via prop betting markets |
| Tournament | ESL Pro League Season 22 (October 2025) |
| Scope | All ESIC member events, any capacity |
What Comes Next
ESIC’s confirmation that it is working with law enforcement and that further bans may follow suggests this investigation is far from over. The individuals on the other side of those betting accounts, the ones placing wagers on newly created and VIP accounts, are likely still being pursued. For the CS2 community, this case sets a clear precedent: prop market manipulation is now firmly on ESIC’s radar, and the consequences are severe.