Professional esports integrity investigations and focused player screening.
The Centre for Forensic Neuroscience provides specialist esports polygraph services for esports organisations, tournament operators, integrity teams, betting-content providers, professional teams and legal advisers dealing with competition-integrity concerns.
Services may include specific-issue esports polygraph examinations, focused player integrity screening programmes, structured investigative interviewing and Concealed Information Testing where evidentially appropriate.
Each instruction addresses clearly defined past conduct and is integrated with relevant betting, gameplay, communications, digital, financial, anti-doping or toxicological evidence. Polygraph does not replace those evidence streams or independent disciplinary decision-making.
UK and international instructions considered
Integrated with wider investigative evidence
Led by Dr Keith Ashcroft
Principal Forensic Polygraph Examiner / Investigative Psychologist
Method
Specific-Issue Methodology
Interview
Structured Investigative Interviewing
Capability
Concealed Information Test Capability
Governance
Documented Quality Control
Deployment
UK & International Instructions
Where Polygraph Fits
Betting monitoring, gameplay analysis, anti-cheat systems, digital forensics and financial investigation may identify suspicious activity or anomalies. CFN provides a specialist human-source investigative capability for examining whether a particular individual participated in clearly defined past conduct associated with match manipulation, spot-fixing, corrupt approaches, prohibited betting, inside-information breaches, collusion, defined prohibited-substance conduct, or related esports integrity concerns.
Betting alerts, gameplay anomalies, technical evidence and communications analysis can identify suspicious patterns. They may still leave unresolved whether a participant deliberately took defined actions, acted on a corrupt approach, supplied protected information or coordinated with another person. Different evidence sources answer different questions: toxicological evidence may establish the presence of a substance or metabolite, and prescription or Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) records may establish authorised medical use, while communications, financial or digital evidence may show acquisition, supply or coordination. Where anti-doping concerns arise, toxicology may establish substance presence, while a focused human-source investigation and specific-issue polygraph may address a separate disputed historical question about use, acquisition, supply, administration, facilitation or concealment. CFN examines those behaviourally defined unresolved questions about past conduct.
The current ESIC Anti-Corruption Code and ESIC Anti-Doping Code provide industry frameworks for current offence and prohibited-substance terminology; reference to ESIC does not imply endorsement or affiliation.
Clear rules, risk-based due diligence and reporting routes.
Market alerts, telemetry, anti-cheat systems and access records.
Digital, financial, communications, witness, anti-doping or toxicological evidence, and operational evidence.
A focused human-source examination addressing defined past conduct that remains unresolved after other investigative evidence has been considered.
Corroboration, applicable rules, fair procedure and independent determination.
Primary Application
A specific-issue investigation begins with a defined incident, allegation or evidential concern. CFN reviews the available case material, identifies the unresolved investigative proposition and converts that proposition into behaviourally precise questions about identifiable past actions within a defined period.
Where suitable, CFN conducts an appropriate specific-issue examination, records relevant disclosures or investigative leads, and reports findings for consideration with betting, gameplay, communications, digital, financial, toxicological, and anti-doping or Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) evidence.
Questions concern identifiable past actions within a defined period, not general honesty, character, loyalty, personality or vague intentions.
Specific-issue examinations are deliberately focused. CFN generally uses no more than three relevant questions within an examination where methodology permits, allowing clearly defined conduct to be examined without diluting the issue under investigation. Distinct integrity concerns may require separate examination structures.
CFN combines evidence review, investigative interviewing, behaviourally defined questions and forensic psychophysiological examination to help organisations address defined integrity questions that may remain unresolved by technical, betting or documentary evidence alone.
CFN does not recommend that a polygraph outcome is used as the sole basis for disciplinary, contractual or participant-eligibility action. Findings should be considered with the wider evidence, organisational policies and applicable procedures.
Investigative Scope
A polygraph can investigate whether an individual participated in defined match-fixing, spot-fixing or related conduct. It does not independently determine from gameplay that a match was fixed or determine legal or disciplinary culpability.
CFN may investigate whether an individual deliberately manipulated a match, round, action or event; agreed with another person to manipulate an aspect of competition; or acted as part of an arrangement connected with betting.
Poor performance is not by itself evidence of manipulation.
Examinations may address whether an individual accepted or agreed to an inducement, acted upon a corrupt approach, entered an undisclosed betting-related arrangement or knowingly participated in prohibited betting-related conduct.
CFN may investigate whether an individual knowingly supplied protected team, player, tactical or event information, including disclosure for prohibited betting purposes. Wider confidentiality breaches are considered separately where appropriate.
Defined past acts of coordination may involve players, coaches, officials, administrators, intermediaries, technical staff or other insiders connected to a competition, team or betting-related arrangement.
CFN may examine whether an individual knowingly obtained, installed, used or supplied prohibited software, credentials or access.
Digital and anti-cheat evidence remains primary for proving technical activity.
CFN may investigate clearly defined historical conduct concerning the knowing use, acquisition, possession, supply, administration, facilitation, or concealment of a substance prohibited under the applicable esports anti-doping rules.
Toxicological evidence remains primary for establishing the presence of a prohibited substance or metabolite.
Legitimately prescribed medication and any applicable Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) must be distinguished from prohibited conduct.
An examination may address whether an individual received a defined corrupt approach, became aware of specified prohibited conduct and subsequently failed to report it where applicable rules imposed that obligation. Questions based purely upon knowledge are scoped cautiously.
Secondary Application
CFN can work with esports organisations to develop proportionate onboarding, periodic or risk-triggered integrity screening programmes for players and other personnel. Where operationally practical, screening is structured around clearly separated integrity issues rather than combining multiple unrelated concerns within a single examination. Each issue is defined by identifiable past behaviour, an appropriate reference period and its relevance to the participant's role, competition rules and the organisation's integrity framework.
Potential screening domains — scoped and separated where methodology requires
Match or spot manipulation
Corrupt approaches
Prohibited betting
Inside information
Undisclosed betting relationships
Unreported approaches
Prohibited-substance conduct
Where anti-doping concerns form part of an integrity programme, screening concerns defined prohibited behaviour; biological testing remains the appropriate method for detecting substance presence.
Screening outcomes are interpreted in context rather than as simple pass/fail determinations. Base rates matter: where prohibited conduct is uncommon, a significant physiological response may have a lower positive predictive value than the apparent accuracy of the procedure alone suggests. An unresolved screening concern should therefore ordinarily trigger structured clarification and, where justified, more focused examination rather than automatic exclusion or disciplinary action.
Screening findings are reported alongside relevant disclosures, explanations, unresolved concerns, examination limitations and any recommendation for clarification or further focused investigation. The report is intended to inform the organisation's wider integrity assessment rather than operate as an automatic pass/fail, eligibility or disciplinary determination.
Methodology
CFN screening follows a structured, three-stage successive-hurdles pathway designed to reduce physiological ambiguity and improve interpretative clarity.
Each screening issue is defined behaviourally and separated from materially different concerns where practical.
Where a significant response or relevant disclosure occurs (including potential prohibited-substance concerns), CFN explores plausible explanations (such as legitimate prescriptions or TUE authorizations), reviews relevant toxicological or documentary evidence, and determines whether the issue requires clarification, reformulation, or further investigation.
Where the concern remains unresolved, subsequent examination addresses the remaining issue more specifically rather than simply repeating the original screening test.
Specialist Capability
The Concealed Information Test (CIT) assesses differential recognition of concealed event-relevant information. It is not a guilt test.
Where investigators retain confidential details concerning a corrupt approach, payment mechanism, communication method, manipulated event or other protected case information, CIT may sometimes be used to assess whether an examinee recognises information that an uninvolved person would not ordinarily know.
Recognition does not establish culpability or explain how the information became known. Operational access, briefing, disclosure, media exposure, interviewing or contamination must be considered.
Structured Interview
The pre-examination interview can clarify chronology, identify alternative explanations, refine the investigative proposition and document relevant disclosures before an examination decision is made.
It may identify leads concerning communication channels, payments, intermediaries, other participants or independent corroboration. Admissions are not assumed or guaranteed.
Any new investigative information should be independently corroborated.
CFN Service Model
CFN provides case assessment, question development, examination, interviewing, reporting and quality control rather than an isolated polygraph appointment detached from the wider integrity investigation.
Review the integrity concern, chronology, applicable rules, available investigative, toxicological or anti-doping evidence, and unresolved behavioural proposition.
Translate suspected conduct into behaviourally precise, methodologically suitable examination questions.
Examine identified participants concerning clearly defined past conduct, including defined anti-doping conduct where methodologically suitable.
Develop proportionate, focused screening programmes using behaviourally defined issues, structured issue separation and successive-hurdles follow-up where required.
Clarify chronology, document explanations and disclosures, and identify potential investigative leads.
Assess recognition of protected event-relevant information where the evidential circumstances permit a valid CIT design.
Provide documented findings that distinguish examination outcomes, relevant disclosures and unresolved concerns, with recommendations for clarification or further focused investigation where appropriate. Findings are designed to be integrated with the organisation's wider evidence and independent decision-making process.
Support individual or multi-participant programmes subject to jurisdictional, legal, operational and logistical review.
Professional Instruction
CFN assesses the issue, participant, intended use and delivery requirements before acceptance.
Participants must understand the purpose, scope, procedure, reporting and foreseeable use.
CFN may decline an inappropriately coercive, disproportionate, unsuitable or methodologically incapable instruction.
Organisations should establish legal basis, purpose, access, security, retention, deletion and disclosure arrangements. Requirements vary by jurisdiction.
Participation in an examination is distinct from the organisation's legal basis for processing personal information.
UK and international instructions are considered after feasibility, legal, deployment, travel and scope review.
Fees are quoted according to scope, complexity, participant numbers, examination type, location, case review, reporting, quality control, travel, programme duration and delivery requirements.
Related Capability
Related CFN services include polygraph examination, corporate investigations, investigative psychology and Concealed Information Testing.
Instructions are scoped for legal, contractual, operational and data-protection context before case material is exchanged.
Professional backgroundProgramme context: Programmes should be compatible with applicable employment, contractor, privacy, data-protection and equality requirements. Where anti-doping conduct is examined, investigations must respect legitimate medical treatment, prescription confidentiality, and applicable TUE authorisations. Reporting, quality control and secure handling are agreed for the instruction.
Professional Enquiries
Esports organisations, competition and tournament operators, integrity teams, betting or sports-content providers, legal advisers and professional teams can discuss specific investigations, multi-player programmes, screening requirements, question formulation, logistics and international delivery with CFN. When instructing an examiner or commissioning an examination, the initial discussion can address the applicable rules, available evidence, suitability, participant numbers, reporting and delivery requirements.
Do not send sensitive participant information through the initial enquiry form. A secure route can be arranged if case material is required.
