Riot Games has announced it will allow betting sponsorships in its esports for the first time.
Tier 1 teams in both League of Legends and Valorant in EMEA and the Americas can now explore these new revenue opportunities.
That means this is limited to teams competing in the LEC, the LTA North, the LTA South, VCT EMEA, and VCT Americas.
Riot’s President of Publishing and Esports, John Needham, says this change is part of the publisher “investing in a sustainable ecosystem.”
This change has been in the pipeline for a while.
Back in 2023, Riot considered upping the player age limit for the European LoL tournament LEC up to 18 to allow for new sponsorship possibilities.
Riot decided against it for the 2023 season before finally implementing the change in 2024.
Needham says esports organisations have been asking Riot to unrestrict betting sponsorships.
Betting on Valorant and LoL esports made $10.7 billion (£7.8bn) in 2024, according to SportRadar.
However, Needham claims 70% of bets placed on all sports are unregulated with unlicensed bookmakers.
And because of this, Riot are putting multiple safeguards in place.
How will betting sponsorships work in League of Legends and Valorant?
For now, Riot has stated that its LoL Esports and VCT broadcasts will remain betting-free, as will its social media channels.
This means there will be no betting advertisements or betting-sponsored segments on Riot’s esports broadcasts.
And it also means that esports teams will not be allowed to have betting partner logos on their jerseys.
Needham says it’s up to teams to create betting-related content on their own channels.
And Riot also want teams to take responsibility in background checking the sponsors they accept.
LoL and Valorant teams will have to establish integrity programmes before accepting betting sponsors.
Needham added, “Integrity isn’t something Riot can uphold alone; it’s a shared responsibility across the entire ecosystem.”
This follows the recent scandal with match-fixing allegations in North America’s Tier 2 of Valorant running rampant.
There’s a possibility that this contributed to Riot’s decision to limit betting sponsorships to Tier 1 competition only.
However, to make up for that, Riot Games claims this programme will allow reinvestment back into the Tier 2 scene.
It is claimed that the second tier of LoL and Valorant will see prize pools increased and more tournaments created.
Riot also declared that this will lead to additional “integrity system developments” and expanded training for tournament operators and aspiring pros in Tier 2.
Team Heretics had called on Riot to educate pros on gambling after British Valorant pro Benjyfishy was fined for betting on LoL Worlds 2024.
What safeguards are Riot Games putting in place for LoL and Valorant betting sponsorships?
LoL and Valorant esports teams will have to follow strict guidelines before being sponsored by betting brands.
Ultimately, the betting sponsor will have to be vetted and approved by Riot Games before a deal can be completed.
Additionally, all betting partners must use data from GRID Esports to generate their odds and offerings.
This is to ensure integrity and consistency as well as to weaken black markets, according to Riot.
Riot Games is also making it mandatory for teams to create their own internal integrity programmes.
Riot hopes this will help maintain competitive integrity, uphold responsible betting practices, and safeguard young players and viewers.
Remember to gamble responsibly before placing bets in any format, including on LoL betting sites.
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