Another EA Scandal

EA investigates after an employee is allegedly caught selling rare items for cash.

The McMillions scam is getting the full Hollywood treatment. The guy who coughed his way to the grand prize on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire inspired a TV show. So, what does the future hold for EAGate? A rogue EA employee selling FUT Icon Moments cards for thousands of dollars on the black market. Would you watch that Netflix show?

We wouldn’t either, but still – you don’t hear about a scandal like this every day! We don’t like cheating at Stakester. We’re all about fair competition – so join us in shaking our heads like a disapproving dad as we run you through the details of the scandal the internet has christened “EAGate”.

So, what happened?

A Twitter user posted a series of screenshots that appeared to show an employee at EA selling FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Icons Moments, and Team of the Year cards for around $1,000 USD a pop. You could play 100 games on Stakester for that! Turns out you don’t have to be a bored billionaire to splash your cash and build the perfect team!

The hashtag #EAGate (it’s always gate, isn’t it?) started trending on Twitter. There have always been rumours of a black market around FIFA, and we know that EA has clamped down on coin and card sellers, but this one goes much further down the rabbit hole.

EA’s official response

EA SPORTS FIFA made an official statement on Twitter last night, explaining that they have opened a thorough investigation. The truth is – where there are popular competitive games, some people are going to sense an opportunity to cheat or bend the rules.

It leaves us with lots of questions: how did they think they’d get away with it? What will happen to the cards? Stay tuned for more updates in the future (and maybe even a movie).

In the meantime, put your skills to better use in the arena with the Stakester app.