Riot Will Allow Sports-Betting Sponsorships For League Of Legends Esports Teams

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Riot Games has declared they will start endorsing sports-betting partnerships for esports teams competing in their top-tier League of Legends and Valorant leagues. However, the company clarifies that no betting ads will be shown during its official broadcasts. Instead, teams can receive sponsorship money from sports-betting firms for self-promoted advertising on their individual platforms.

In an online post, John Needham, head of Publishing and Esports, states that this step aims to capitalize on the fast-expanding market of sports betting and to establish more controlled regulations in esports betting. To allay any apprehensions and prevent possible backlash, Needham clarifies that the company is endorsing sports betting partnerships under a strategy they’ve labeled as “guidelines first.

According to Needham, these “guardrails” are essentially the guidelines for any sponsorship arrangements. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Sports-betting companies must undergo vetting and approval by Riot Games themselves, but they haven’t disclosed the specific criteria used during this process.
2. To ensure fairness among sports-betting partners, Riot is enforcing that all official partners utilize GRID, the officially recognized data platform for League of Legends and Valorant.
3. Esports teams are required to implement internal integrity programs to safeguard against rule violations potentially influenced by sports betting.
4. A portion of the revenue generated from these sponsorships will be allocated by Riot to support lower division (Tier 2) esports leagues.

One significant issue arising from the surge in sports betting in the U.S. is the growing prevalence of sports-betting advertisements, causing anxiety and annoyance among many. Riot aims to alleviate this problem by ensuring that no ads from such companies will appear on “Riot-managed broadcast and social platforms.” This rule also extends to prohibiting team members’ jerseys from displaying sports-betting ads. The only locations where these ads can be shown are team-owned channels. According to Needham, each team has the flexibility to decide how sports-betting content is presented on their channels, as long as it adheres to the sponsorship program guidelines, terms of service, and local regulations.

As a passionate gamer, it seems like the rationale behind allowing sponsorships for sports betting, particularly esports, revolves around tackling the vast, hidden networks and organizations that operate outside official channels. To put it simply, more gamers are getting involved in betting year after year, and let’s face it, the total amount wagered globally on just League of Legends Esports and VCT reached an astounding $10.7 billion in 2024, according to Sportradar. However, here’s the catch: a whopping 70% of these bets are placed in unregulated markets with bookmakers who don’t have proper licenses.

The company aims to expand its control over this particular action, hoping to do so within the corporate umbrella. This move could potentially allow for tighter regulation and, likely, increased revenue collection from sports betting applications.

While the blog post focuses on safeguarding the integrity of esports, it fails to acknowledge or address the social issues that have arisen due to the expansion of sports betting nationwide. For instance, an NCAA-funded study points out that American college athletes are increasingly subjected to harassment, primarily stemming from frustration and disappointment linked to sports betting. This issue might be more pronounced among women, as some research indicates that they are disproportionately targeted by betting-related harassment. Riot Games, however, has not yet clarified whether it will implement specific measures to prevent potential harm caused by sports betting. Instead, its main concern seems to be alleviating concerns about match fixing or other threats to the integrity of esports.

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2025-06-27 20:39