Thai esports pro & boyfriend sentenced to 6 months in prison for cheating in tournament

A Thai esports player was sentenced to prison after she was caught cheating during a major international tournament where her boyfriend played for her instead.

A Bangkok court handed former national team player Naphat ‘Tokyogurl’ Warasin a six-month prison sentence after she was found guilty of cheating during the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The pro secretly had her boyfriend playing for her remotely by logging into her account.

However, the sentence was later reduced to three months in detention after she admitted to the charges and cooperated with authorities.

Thai esports pro sentenced after boyfriend plays for her

The scandal stems from the women’s Arena of Valor event at the SEA Games, where officials noticed suspicious gameplay during a match.

Investigators later found that Warasin had shared her account credentials with another player, her boyfriend, allowing him to secretly play matches on her behalf.

She also used external communication tools to coordinate the deception in real time, effectively bypassing tournament rules and security systems.

Her partner in crime, 23-year-old Cheerio, was also sentenced in the case.

The cheating was uncovered mid-competition, leading to Warasin’s disqualification and the withdrawal of Thailand’s team from the event.

Authorities later arrested both individuals, seizing devices and chat logs that detailed how the plan was executed.

Esports cheaters get sentence reduced by judge

Prosecutors charged them under Thailand’s computer crime laws, citing unauthorized access to systems and manipulation of competitive integrity.

The court ruled they violated the Computer Crime Act, saying their actions harmed both the integrity of esports and the country’s reputation.

Initially, the court issued a six-month prison sentence for both defendants, emphasizing the damage caused to the country’s reputation and the integrity of esports competition.

That sentence was reduced to three months by a judge due to their guilty pleas.

Under Thai law, shorter sentences like this can be served in detention facilities rather than a traditional prison.