Riot Games opens the door to betting sponsorships in professional League of Legends and Valorant
Betting sponsorships are being introduced into tier one Valorant and League of Legends esports, Riot Games has revealed.
This announcement came in the form of a lengthy post by John Needham, head of publishing and esports at Riot Games. In it, Needham justifies the inclusion of sports betting as part of the company’s desire to build “a sustainable ecosystem” for its games.
Needham said this is something professional teams “have been asking us to consider for years”. Gambling sponsors will be permitted across the Americas and EMEA regions, with no stated plans to permit these sorts of sponsorships among other regions around the world.
Needham goes on to explain: “We know sports betting isn’t for everyone, and that some fans have strong feelings about it, and we respect that. However, the reality is that betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not.”