League of Legends and Valorant developer Riot Games is endorsing and embracing the spread of sports betting in its esports competitions, the company announced Thursday. In a change announced by president of publishing an esports at Riot Games John Needham, Riot will allow esports gambling sponsorships for Tear 1 League of Legends and Valorant teams in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
Riot says it’s doing so for a variety of reasons — one being that esports betting already exists across its competitive games, and according to Needham, “70% of bets across all sports are placed in unregulated markets with bookmakers who aren’t licensed.”
“We believe it’s better to engage in allowing betting sponsorships — thoughtfully, carefully, and with the right protections — than to sit on the sidelines while risks to fans and integrity go unchecked,” Needham wrote in a post on Riot’s website.
Needham says that League of Legends and Valorant esports teams have pushed for the change in allowing sports betting sponsors “to open up sponsorship opportunities with betting brands to generate additional revenue for their financial health.” Riot will also benefit from the revenue earned from gambling on League and Valorant, but pledges to invest a portion of that money back into its esports programs.
Riot says it will put certain “guardrails” in place. It promises to vet and approve the gambling companies who want to sponsor teams; restrict ads for gambling on official channels; and will bar gambling sponsors from putting their logos on team jerseys.
“The last thing we want to do is disrupt LoL Esports and VCT broadcasts with an influx of sports betting ads,” Needham says. “So we’ve established at the onset that Riot-owned broadcast and social channels will stay betting-free, which means no ads, no sponsored segments from betting partners, and no betting partner 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 of the sponsorship program, content platform ToS, and local regulations.”
Riot says it’s also requiring teams to “create and assess their own Internal Integrity Program” to “ensure competitive integrity, safeguard players and young audiences, and uphold responsible betting practices” — a clear acknowledgement that betting in sports sometimes leads to player misconduct, irresponsible and underage gambling, and other behaviors that damage the integrity of games.
“We know sports betting isn’t for everyone, and that some fans have strong feelings about it, and we respect that,” Needham wrote. “However, the reality is that betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not.”
Sports betting in the U.S., where Riot is headquartered, was illegal at the federal level until 2018. Since then, gambling on professional sports has exploded and been embraced by leagues. Broadcasts of those games are infested with gambling ads, and players say that the rise in legalized sports betting has negatively changed how fans treat them.
The World Health Organization says that gambling can threaten people’s health, leading to “increased incidence of mental illness and suicide” and drive poverty. Around 5.5% of women and 11.9% of men globally experience some level of harm from gambling, the WHO said, citing a 2024 report from The Lancet Public Health Commission. Other studies have shown gambling to be a precipitating factor in deaths by suicide.
Reaction to Riot’s announcement from League and Valorant communities on Reddit appears to be largely negative, with some fans worried about increased toxicity, match fixing, and gambling addiction, especially among younger viewers and players, even as esports sponsorship capital dwindles.
“I hate gambling and how pervasive it is,” wrote one League fan.
“I don’t love it, seeing how online sports betting has quickly become endemic among young men,” said another, “but it was inevitable at this point as the ecosystem really needs increased revenue and barring a direct buy-in price for viewership this is probably the most lucrative way to do so.”
