Renowned English-speaking analyst Richard Lewis in his latest YouTube video heavily criticized ESIC, calling them toothless. But all this is due to the recent scandal of lifting the ban on Swedish player Joel "joel" Holmlund.

Richard Lewis's main argument against ESIC was that as soon as joel hired a lawyer, ESIC backed down. Moreover, he does not believe in the "dependency on gambling addiction", which joel suffered from.

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Originally, on September 29, 2023, former GODSENT and Monte player joel received a ban from the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC). ESIC had irrefutable evidence that joel had placed bets on CS:GO matches earlier this year, including matches involving his own team. At the same time, the commission found no evidence of involvement in rigged matches.

But on November 30, 2023, ESIC lifted all sanctions from the player. The main reason was: "Lack of convincing evidence".

The accused player himself cooperated with the structure, being banned since September. He denies the participation in 322 attributed to him but admits that he is battling a betting addiction.

Here is how Richard Lewis himself commented on the situation:

In fact, joel just hired a lawyer, and ESIC backed down. I am shocked because when you bet on your own team, you need to lose so you can earn. Professionals should not bet.Toothless ESIC just went along with him when he came with a lawyer. They accused him of some minor violations and decided to unban. If you are from the CIS, you think joel is a cool guy. It seems to you that ESIC ruined his career, but he was able to get back on his feet. No one should ever bet on their own team. I'm already bored hearing the excuse about "dependency on gambling addiction", it's just empty words.

  

Remember, ESIC also sanctioned several Ukrainian players who were somehow connected with the Akuma lineup. Read more about it here.