As eSports has continued to grow, so too has the number of different industries interested in striking advertising and sponsorship deals. Seeing the vast audiences and levels of engagement, companies are now willing to pay top dollar to get their logos on-screen. However, some organisers have been keen to limit which industries can advertise within their competitions.
Riot Games was one such organiser. The developers of League of Legends and Valorant command a huge segment of the eSports audience. Each year, the League of Legends World Championship ranks as the most-watched eSports tournament, with the 2024 edition recently breaking the record for the most-watched eSports event of all time. Now, Riot Games has opened up its sponsorship options to betting brands.
Incorporating a Popular Existing Entity
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Riot Games has decided to allow teams to accept sponsorship from betting companies for the first time in 2025. For now, it’s only Tier 1 category teams from League of Legends and Valorant from the EMEA and Americas. The move follows years of industry research and the growing prominence of betting around eSports, with Riot Games stating that they think it’s better to engage with allowing sponsorships than to sit on the sidelines without checks.
By opening the door to betting sponsorships, Riot Games can apply oversight to a sector that many fans already engage with, helping to guide activity toward licensed operators. In the press release, the acclaimed publisher cited $10.7 billion in total betting turnover globally on League of Legends and VCT events alone, but that around 70 percent of these were placed with unlicensed providers.
So, Riot Games will only allow licensed and regulated sites to become associated with eSports, hopefully pushing those who’re interested in betting to go towards safe and secure sites. Now, the leading eSports sportsbook is loaded with markets across all competitions, but most importantly, they’re licensed and regulated in Canada. So, fans can bet on the likes of LoL, VCT, Counter Strike, DOTA 2, Mobile Legends, and more with a safe provider.
Vetting, Approving, and the Viewing Experience
Riot Games has laid out its terms for potential sponsors getting into its corner of the eSports scene. Importantly, they will vet and approve all potential partners, meaning that only licensed and trusted brands will be able to appear within their Tier 1 competitions. Further, team integrity program checks will become mandatory, ensuring that competitive integrity is upheld.
For fans, while they will be able to see eSports betting sponsors’ content around some of their favourite teams, these new sponsorships won’t be pervasive in the viewing experience. Broadcasts won’t now see an influx of eSports betting adverts or through Riot Games’ social media channels. The sponsors also won’t appear on team jerseys. Instead, teams will have flexibility in how to integrate partnerships, provided they remain within the outlined rules.
Overall, Riot Games is taking a restrained approach to allowing eSports betting sponsors. They’ll be much more restrained than many other forms of sponsors, and likely with much more stringent checks for quality and legitimacy than many other companies looking to advertise on Tier 1 events. This marks an initial step, and it’s possible that sponsorship opportunities will expand in the years ahead.