Riot Games is opening up betting sponsorship opportunities for Tier 1 LoL and VALORANT teams in the Americas and EMEA with safeguards to protect competitive integrity and the fan experience.

Riot said, we’ve always believed that building the future of esports means investing in a sustainable ecosystem, not just for today, but for the long run. That’s why we’re focused on supporting the players, teams, and the fans who fuel it all. In 2023, I shared our vision for building a sustainable future for our esports ecosystem and later followed up with specific changes, like a new partnership model and deeper work to unlock more predictable revenue streams and sponsorship opportunities for partner teams. 

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

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.

As the publisher of the world’s two biggest esports, we take seriously our duty to teams, players, and fans to safeguard the ecosystem we’ve built and position it for long-term success.