Riot Games announced on Thursday, July 23, the 12-month suspension of Polish midlaner Jakub "Syzyf" Ruta after concluding that he had violated Article 4.15 of the
Riot Games Esports Global Code of Conduct, which covers gambling. The suspension takes effect immediately and follows an investigation into suspicious betting activity surrounding two Rift Legends matches, a predominantly Polish
League of Legends league, played by his team, Onion Team, on February 19, 2026.
At the time, Syzyf and Onion Team were competing in the league's
Winter Split. On Thursday, February 19, they played two best-of-three series, first suffering a 0-2 defeat to Barcząca Esports before losing by the same score to Forsaken just a few hours later.
Not necessarily guilty, but not innocent either
According to Riot's report published on Thursday, July 23, the case was first flagged by one of the publisher's integrity partners, which reported unusual betting activity on the matches on February 24. Riot then tasked Sportradar, its primary integrity partner, with conducting an investigation that included betting data analysis and an interview with the player.
According to
the report published on Riot Games' website, the investigation did not establish that Syzyf had intentionally manipulated the outcome of any match. However, the evidence showed that he allowed a close family member to place bets on competitions in which he was directly participating. Article 4.15 explicitly prohibits this practice, as esports professionals may be held responsible for the actions of their close family members.
As a result, Riot Games opened disciplinary proceedings on June 29, 2026, to which Syzyf responded in writing on July 3. The publisher acknowledged several mitigating factors, including his cooperation, his admission that he had discussed the matches with a family member before the bets were placed, and his expression of remorse. However, Riot also identified more significant aggravating factors: coordinated bets placed through multiple newly created accounts at the maximum permitted stake, as well as the player's awareness that the betting prohibition also applied to close family members.
In conclusion, Riot Games stated that "Syzyf is suspended from participating in any Riot-sanctioned competition for twelve months with immediate effect" and, notably, that "the ruling is final and cannot be appealed."
