Why we’re Opening Betting Sponsorships in Esports & how we’re Doing It Responsibly

We’re opening up betting sponsorship opportunities for Tier 1 LoL and VALORANT groups in the Americas and EMEA with safeguards to protect competitive integrity and the fan experience.

At Riot, we have actually always thought that constructing the future of esports indicates buying a sustainable ecosystem, not simply for today, however for the long run. That’s why we’re focused on supporting the players, teams, and the fans who fuel all of it. In 2023, I shared our vision for constructing a sustainable future for our esports ecosystem and later on followed up with specific modifications, like a new partnership design and much deeper work to open more foreseeable earnings streams and sponsorship chances for partner groups.

One area that’s been on our radar and that groups have actually been asking us to consider for years is sports betting as a sponsor category. Today, I desire to share why we’re opening up the betting sponsorship classification for Tier 1 LoL and VALORANT teams in the Americas and EMEA – and what we’re doing to make certain it’s done the ideal way.

Why Sports Betting & Why Now

We understand sports betting isn’t for everyone, and that some fans have strong sensations about it, and we appreciate that. However, the truth is that wagering activity currently exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not. Historically, this has been a limited sponsorship category, and Riot has actually not engaged with betting companies. Teams have asked us to reassess our stance, and after years of analysis to guarantee we got it right, we agreed it was time to open up this category to develop more earnings chances for teams.

Sports betting – and more particularly, esports betting – is a space that more fans select to engage with every year. According to Sportradar, the total wagering turnover internationally including simply LoL Esports and VCT reached $10.7 billion in 2024. But here’s the problem: 70% of bets throughout all sports are placed in unregulated markets with bookies who aren’t licensed.

We think it’s better to participate in permitting betting sponsorships – attentively, thoroughly, and with the right defenses – than to rest on the sidelines while dangers to fans and stability go uncontrolled.

Our Approach: Guardrails First

As the publisher of the world’s two biggest esports, we take seriously our duty to groups, gamers, and fans to secure the ecosystem we’ve built and place it for long-term success.

This suggests fully owning our choice to unlock this category by establishing a well-researched sports betting partnership program that:

Answers the call from our partner groups to open sponsorship opportunities with wagering brand names to produce extra income for their financial health.

Guides and supports the development of policies, keeping track of finest practices, and educational programs that secure the stability of esports teams, pros, fans, and events.

Strengthens and enhances the competitive integrity requirements of our esports competitions by improving our ability to keep track of betting activity for offenses of our policies.

Our capability to fulfill these goals implies we need to equip teams with the right tools and assistance to successfully browse the sports betting sponsorship space in a manner that secures the fan and esports event experience.

Here are the highlights of how we are engaging sports wagering partners:

Vet and Approve all Potential Sports Betting Partners

Before any possible sports wagering partner can pursue a collaboration with a partnered group, they must be vetted and by Riot. It is necessary to us to bring the very same razor of scrutiny to all betting brand names interested in our teams.

Build on our Established Official Partnership with GRID

For a digital-first sport like esports, utilizing clean, main data is crucial to deteriorating black markets and stopping dubious operators from taking benefit of fans and pros. That’s why, in 2023, we developed a global partnership and financial investment in GRID to develop a single, trusted source of esports information for teams and industrial partners, consisting of betting operators. Any prospective wagering partner must utilize GRID to power their offerings, guaranteeing consistency, stability, and accountability throughout the board.

Mandate Team Integrity Program Checks

As part of our wider sponsorship guidelines, we’ve established a requirement for groups to create and assess their own Internal Integrity Program – one that lines up with our expectations to:

Ensure competitive integrity

Safeguard gamers and young audiences

Uphold accountable wagering practices

Integrity isn’t something Riot can maintain alone; it’s a shared duty throughout the entire environment. Teams pursuing wagering partnerships should have developed an integrity program inclusive of policy development, tracking, and education. They must also assess if this, like all other partnerships, makes sense for their brand name and fans.

Support and Foster our Tier 2 Esports Ecosystem

While sponsorships are just open to Tier 1 LoL Esports and VCT groups in Americas and EMEA, the general program will support the growth and advancement of our Tier 2 esports teams.

A part of Riot’s revenues earned from the sports betting program will be invested back into Tier 2 across a variety of areas consisting of:

Increasing prize pools and developing brand-new competitions to support aspiring pros

Additional stability system developments

Expanded training and education programs for our partner competition operators and aspiring pros

We’re Protecting the Viewing Experience

The last thing we wish to do is interfere with LoL Esports and VCT broadcasts with an influx of sports wagering ads. So we have actually developed at the beginning that Riot-owned broadcast and social channels will stay betting-free, which suggests no ads, no sponsored sections from wagering partners, and no wagering partner logo designs on team jerseys. It will depend on each team to craft how sports betting related content shows up on their channels within the guidelines of the sponsorship program, content platform ToS, and regional regulations.

Looking Ahead

We think that showing up in this space – properly – is better than letting others specify it for us.

We’ve said before that Riot is all in for the long term on our esports, and that means stepping into arenas like sports betting with an objective to both guide and secure our brands from bad stars by establishing what excellent looks like, while also providing an avenue for groups to benefit economically.

With any new undertaking, there will be difficulties, and if we need to make adjustments, we will. Please understand our overall dedication is to do right by our gamers, groups, and fans as well as the first-rate esports experience that we’ve developed together and wish to see grow for years to come.