Opening the Betting Frontier
Riot Games has announced the opening of sports betting sponsorships for Tier 1 League of Legends and VALORANT teams in both the Americas and EMEA. “After years of analysis to ensure we got it right, we agreed it was time to open up this category to create more revenue opportunities for teams,” writes John Needham, President of Publishing & Esports at Riot, in a company blog post published on June 26. The move responds directly to partner-team requests for diversified income streams—an imperative in today’s increasingly competitive franchised-league landscape.
Why Now? Confronting an Unregulated Reality
Riot recognizes that fan engagement with betting is already widespread: Needham cites data from Sportradar, according to which total global betting turnover on LoL Esports and the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) reached $10.7 billion in 2024. Yet “70% of bets across all sports are placed in unregulated markets with bookmakers who aren’t licensed,” creating integrity and consumer-protection risks if left unchecked. By bringing reputable operators into the fold, Riot aims to replace gray-market activity with partnerships that comply with local regulations and uphold professional standards.
Guardrails First: A Three-Pronged Partnership Program
Riot’s approach hinges on rigorous safeguarding measures designed to protect competitive integrity and the fan experience:
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Vetting and Approval: Every potential betting partner must pass Riot’s scrutiny before engaging with a partnered team.
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Official Data from GRID: Since 2023, Riot has invested in GRID to provide a single trusted source of esports data—mandatory for all betting partners.
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Team-Led Integrity Programs: “Teams pursuing betting partnerships must have established an integrity program inclusive of policy development, monitoring, and education,” Needham emphasizes. These internal programs must align with Riot’s standards to ensure responsible betting practices and player safety.
Extending Support Beyond Tier 1
While sponsorships are initially limited to Tier 1 teams, Riot pledges to reinvest a portion of betting-program revenues into its broader ecosystem. Purposes include boosting prize pools, launching new tournaments for aspiring pros, and enhancing integrity-monitoring tools and educational initiatives for Tier 2 operators.
Preserving the Viewing Experience
To avoid diluting broadcasts with betting promotions, Riot has stipulated that all Riot-owned channels—both live streams and social media—remain free from sports betting ads, sponsored segments, and logos on team jerseys. “It will be up to each team to craft how sports betting-related content shows up on their channels within the guidelines,” Needham clarifies, ensuring that fan-facing activations respect local laws and platform terms of service.
Context from The Esports Advocate
As previously reported by The Esports Advocate’s James Fudge, Riot’s leadership first signaled openness to gambling sponsorships in December 2024, following internal discussions involving esports COO Whalen Rozelle and partner teams. Fudge highlighted the complex web of regional gambling regulations, notably in the United States—where each state’s licensing varies—and outright bans in markets like China and Saudi Arabia. Riot’s decision to engage responsibly aims to preempt gray-market operators and set a global standard for regulated esports betting.
For team owners and investors, the new sponsorship category represents a high-margin, rapidly growing revenue stream—particularly as traditional sports leagues have long relied on betting partnerships. Sponsors, meanwhile, gain access to a digitally native, under-30 audience segment that drives engagement across platforms. The success of Riot’s program will hinge on consistent regulation, transparent data feeds, and robust integrity oversight—factors that will determine whether betting becomes a sustainable pillar of franchise economics or a reputational risk to be managed.