VALORANT and League of Legends developer Riot Games will officially allow its partnered esports teams to have betting sponsorships from 2025 onwards.
According to Riot Games’ COO of Esports, Whalen Rozelle, the company told partnered League of Legends esports and VCT teams in the Americas and EMEA of the decision a few weeks ago. It was also noted that betting brands will not be shown on official Riot broadcasts.
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The news first surfaced via esports personality MonteCristo last week with Rozelle’s announcement confirming the development.
This is a major change from Riot Games’ previous stance on betting. The company has notably been against the involvement of betting brands in its esports competitions, and its partner teams were not allowed to have betting sponsors for its League of Legends and VALORANT rosters.
From 2025 onwards, however, esports organisations that are partners in the LEC, LTA, VCT Americas and VCT EMEA will be able to partner with betting companies. Nevertheless, organisations are not allowed to promote those partnerships through Riot’s broadcasts.
According to Rozelle, “the decision was not made lightly” and “is a result of careful planning and study to settle on a move that will unlock new revenue opportunities for teams.”
Riot Games’ channels will remain betting-free for the foreseeable future, with “no betting brands to appear on broadcasts, socials or jerseys.”
The second rule, as announced by Rozelle, is that Riot Games will vet all potential partners to meet the company’s standards. He noted: “All sports books partnering with teams will need to meet local regulatory and licensing requirements and match Riot requirements around content and promotion for this category.”
For teams, this means that, hypothetically, a team competing in the LEC can sign an agreement with a betting brand to support its League of Legends team, but is not allowed to have the partnership featured on a jersey. While reactions from most teams are yet to be heard, Adam Adamou, the CEO of OverActive Media, noted that Movistar KOI will not pursue betting partnerships.
In addition, Rozelle mentioned that Riot Games will evaluate opportunities to expand or refine its approach in the future, depending on how the initial partnerships go. In the 2024 LEC season, Riot Games upped a the minimum player age from 17 to 18 in order for teams “explore additional revenue opportunities.”
