After a long evaluation period, Riot Games has officially authorized the sponsorship of sportsbooks for partner teams in the competitive scenes of VALORANT and League of Legends (LOL).
Thus, Riot confirmed this Thursday (26) and brought some restrictions to preserve the integrity of eSports competitions.
Decision meets long-standing demand from teams
The inclusion of sports betting as a sponsorship category meets a long-standing request from organizations. The release will be valid for Tier 1 teams in the Americas and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions.
John Needham, President of eSports at Riot Games, explained the reasons behind the change and the criteria set for its implementation. “We know that sports betting isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that some fans have strong opinions on the subject, which we respect.
However, the reality is that betting already exists around our esports and will continue to exist even without our involvement. Historically, this has been a restricted sponsorship category, and Riot has not engaged with betting companies.
The teams asked us to reconsider our position and after years of analysis to ensure we made the right decision, we agreed it was time to open this category to create more revenue opportunities for the teams.”
Riot Games also highlighted that sports betting continues to expand, including within eSports. In 2024, according to data from Sportradar, the volume of bets involving only League of Legends and the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) circuit totaled US$ 10.7 billion. However, bettors placed around 70% of these bets in unregulated markets.
Riot Games’ measures aim to protect the competitive environment
According to Riot, the new partnership program will be based on strict guidelines. The goal is to preserve competitive integrity, protect players and ensure transparency in commercial relationships. The company reinforced that its responsibility includes guiding teams and establishing safe operating standards.
The company said: “As the distributor of two of the world’s largest esports, Riot takes seriously its duty to the teams, players and fans to protect the ecosystem it has created and position it for long-term success.”
The planned actions include:
- Pre-Approval of Betting Partners: Riot will be responsible for approving or vetting all brands interested in sponsoring teams. The goal is to apply uniform criteria to all potential commercial partners.
- Expanding partnership with GRID: Since 2023, the company has been collaborating with GRID, a reliable eSports data platform. The use of this database will be mandatory to ensure the integrity, consistency and oversight of sports betting.
- Internal Integrity Program: Teams will need to develop their own plan focused on competitive integrity, protecting minors and promoting responsible gambling. These measures should include educational actions and monitoring processes.
Investment in Tier 2 of eSports
Riot has announced that it will invest part of its revenue in developing Tier 2, even though sponsorship is only available to Tier 1 organizations. This includes creating new tournaments, increasing prize pools, expanding educational initiatives and structuring integrity systems.
Limits on exposure of betting brands
Riot also clarified that official broadcasts and institutional channels will remain free of gambling-related advertising. Sponsored logos and content will not be displayed on uniforms or broadcasts.
It will be up to each team to decide, based on the platform rules and local legislation, how to use their own channels for these partnerships.
Focus on the future of the Riot Games ecosystem
Riot concluded that it intends to lead the debate on sports betting in the eSports universe, with responsibility and a focus on protecting its assets.
The company said: “We’ve said before that Riot wants to dive deep into the future of our esports, and that means entering arenas like esports betting to guide and protect our brands from bad actors by setting the right tone while providing a space for teams to benefit financially.”
Finally, the developer reinforced that, if necessary, the program will undergo adjustments. The central commitment is to preserve the integrity of the competitions and ensure a sustainable environment for players, organizations and fans.
