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’ve constantly thought that developing the future of esports implies purchasing a sustainable ecosystem, not just for today, but for the long run. That’s why we’re concentrated on supporting the players, groups, and the fans who sustain all of it. In 2023, I shared our vision for building a sustainable future for our esports ecosystem and later on followed up with particular modifications, like a new partnership design and deeper work to unlock more predictable earnings streams and sponsorship opportunities for partner teams.

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

Why Sports Betting & Why Now

We understand sports wagering isn’t for everybody, which some fans have strong sensations about it, and we respect that. However, the truth is that betting activity currently exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not. Historically, this has been a restricted sponsorship category, and Riot has actually not engaged with wagering business. Teams have actually asked us to reevaluate our stance, and after years of analysis to ensure we got it right, we agreed it was time to open up this classification to develop more income opportunities for teams.

Sports betting – and more particularly, esports betting – is a space that more fans pick to engage with every year. According to Sportradar, the overall betting turnover globally including simply LoL Esports and VCT reached $10.7 billion in 2024. But here’s the problem: 70% of bets throughout all sports are put in uncontrolled markets with bookmakers who aren’t accredited.

We think it’s much better to take part in enabling wagering sponsorships – thoughtfully, carefully, and with the right securities – than to sit on the sidelines while dangers to fans and stability go unchecked.

Our Approach: Guardrails First

As the publisher of the world’s two greatest esports, we take seriously our task to teams, gamers, and fans to protect the environment we’ve built and place it for long-lasting success.

This suggests completely owning our decision to unlock this classification by establishing a well-researched sports wagering collaboration program that:

Answers the call from our partner groups to open sponsorship chances with betting brand names to produce additional revenue for their monetary health.

Guides and supports the development of regulations, keeping an eye on finest practices, and curricula that protect the stability of esports groups, pros, fans, and events.

Strengthens and strengthens the competitive stability requirements of our esports competitions by enhancing our ability to monitor betting activity for offenses of our policies.

Our capability to meet these goals indicates we need to equip groups with the right tools and assistance to successfully navigate the sports wagering sponsorship space in a manner that safeguards the fan and esports event experience.

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

Vet and Approve all Potential Sports Betting Partners

Before any potential sports wagering partner can pursue a collaboration with a partnered group, they must be vetted and authorized by Riot. It is very important to us to bring the same razor of analysis to all betting brands thinking about our groups.

Build on our Established Official Partnership with GRID

For a digital-first sport like esports, using tidy, main information is vital to compromising black markets and stopping shady operators from making the most of fans and pros. That’s why, in 2023, we developed a worldwide partnership and investment in GRID to develop a single, relied on source of esports information for teams and industrial partners, including wagering operators. Any possible betting partner should utilize GRID to power their offerings, guaranteeing consistency, stability, and responsibility across the board.

Mandate Team Integrity Program Checks

As part of our wider sponsorship guidelines, we’ve established a requirement for teams to produce and examine their own Internal Integrity Program – one that aligns with our expectations to:

Ensure competitive stability

Safeguard gamers and young audiences

Uphold accountable betting practices

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

Support and Foster our Tier 2 Esports Ecosystem

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

A portion of Riot’s profits earned from the sports wagering program will be invested back into Tier 2 across a variety of locations including:

Increasing reward pools and creating brand-new tournaments to support ambitious pros

Additional stability system advancements

Expanded training and education programs for our partner tournament 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 increase of sports wagering ads. So we have actually developed at the start that Riot-owned broadcast and social channels will stay betting-free, which suggests no ads, no sponsored sectors from wagering partners, and no wagering partner logos on team jerseys. It will be up to each group to craft how sports betting related content appears on their channels within the guidelines of the sponsorship program, content platform ToS, and regional policies.

Looking Ahead

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

We’ve said before that Riot is all in for the long term on our esports, which implies stepping into arenas like sports wagering with an objective to both guide and protect our brand names from bad actors by developing what excellent appear like, while likewise providing an opportunity for teams to benefit financially.

With any new undertaking, there will be difficulties, and if we require to make adjustments, we will. Please understand our general commitment is to do right by our players, teams, and fans along with the world-class esports experience that we’ve built together and wish to see thrive for many years to come.