Last week, I covered a rumour suggesting that Riot Games was preparing to make a major policy change. It was said that the gaming titan was about to allow VALORANT and League esports teams to accept betting companies as sponsors for the first time.
Riot Games has confirmed to Insider Gaming that this is the case. In 2025, partnered League of Legends esports teams and VALORANT Champions Tour teams in the Americas and EMEA will be allowed to explore such partnerships.
Cultural Shift
For the longest time, Riot Games has been against gambling sponsors in the esports scene it upholds. It has also been against cryptocurrency-based sponsors.
Following a statement that was issued by Riot Games Esports’ COO, it has been made clear that things are about to change:
A few weeks ago, we told partnered LoL Esports and VCT teams in Americas and EMEA that starting in 2025, they’ll be allowed to explore partnerships with Riot-approved betting platforms. This decision wasn’t made lightly—it’s the result of careful study and planning to settle on a move that will unlock new revenue opportunities for teams while also protecting competitive integrity and the overall fan experience.
Here are two important things to know:
1. Riot-owned channels will stay betting-free. No betting brands will appear on our broadcasts, socials, or jerseys.
2. Riot will vet all potential betting partners to meet our standards for integrity, transparency, and fan engagement. All sports books partnering with teams will need to meet local regulatory and licensing requirements and match Riot requirements around content and promotion for this category.
This is a new sponsorship category for our esports, and we’ll approach it thoughtfully. We’ll learn a lot along the way, and we’ll make changes if at any point this compromises the integrity of the sport or impacts the high-quality experience our fans have today. Depending on how this initial implementation goes, we’ll evaluate opportunities to expand—or refine—our approach in the future.
Naturally, this announcement garnered blowback from the fans of the competitive scenes who are vehemently against gambling.
It’s no big secret that esports betting makes up around 50% of the industry’s global revenue, but that doesn’t mean everyone agrees with the notion of it.
What do you think about this policy change? Let us know on the Insider Gaming forum.
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