Riot Games Gives Permission to LoL and Valorant Teams to Be Sponsored by Bookmakers
Riot Games, one of the most prominent video game producers, will let eSports teams competing in events under their “jurisdiction” look into possible agreements with reputable betting sites.
Photo: The Riot Games’ headquarters (screenshot youtube.com/@FaBledHunters)
Beginning in 2025, Riot Games, a Los Angeles, California-based video game developer, publisher, and eSports championship organizer, will permit eSports teams to sign sponsorship agreements with bookmakers.
The chief operations officer of Riot’s eSports division, Whalen Rozelle, posted on X that Leagues of Legends (LoL) and Valorant teams in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) regions—LEC and LTA in League of Legends, and VCT Americas and VCT EMEA in Valorant—would be permitted to look into collaborations “with Riot-approved betting platforms”.
This action differs from Riot Games’ earlier position opposing the involvement of betting companies in its eSports tournaments. The company did, however, raise the minimum player age for professional teams to 18 for the 2024 League of Legends EMEA Championship season (LEC) in order to “explore additional revenue opportunities”.
What Might Be Consequences of Allowing eSports Teams to Have Betting Sponsorships?
Some have criticized the decision to permit betting sponsorship in eSports as unethical. The addition of so-called “gacha skins”, which players can get by trading in-game money for random drops, already infuriated some fans. Some commentators are advocating for teams to be prohibited from betting at any level and to be obliged to attend betting classes.
Riot maintains the stance that no betting companies will be featured on its broadcasts, social media accounts, or team jerseys and that its own channels will continue to be free of betting. Riot will assess all possible betting partners in the meantime based on its principles of honesty, openness, and fan interaction. Additionally, sportsbooks must adhere to regional licensing and regulatory standards.
The announcement follows Stake’s agreement, made back in October, to sponsor the English broadcast of GRID’s (the only title-agnostic data platform designed specifically to support competitive multiplayer game data) and Eden Esports’ Champion of Champions Tour (CCT). It was selected as the sole betting partner for the Counter-Strike (CS2) eSports event broadcast, marking the betting operator’s first sponsorship of a competitive gaming or eSports event.
Despite heavy competition, League of Legends remains the most-watched eSports game worldwide. A record 6.9 million people watched the 2024 World Championship (Worlds 2024) Grand Final, in which T1, pre-tournament favorites by PaysafeCard eSports bookies, beat Bilibili Gaming 3-2, live online at its peak.
