League of Legends giant Riot Games is now allowing betting companies to sponsor its esports events. 

In a blog post, the company's president of publishing and esports John Needham wrote that this was part of its effort to make the pro-gaming scene more sustainable. Now League of Legends and Valorant teams can accept sponsorships from gambling firms. 

Needham justified this by saying that betting is already happening in the esports space, though this is largely unregulated so it is better for Riot to actually engage with these companies. He added that the company is putting what he calls 'guardrails' on this initiative, which includes vetting potential sponsors and conducting team integrity checks. 

"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," Needham wrote. 

"Historically, this has been a restricted sponsorship category, and Riot has not engaged with betting companies. Teams have asked us to reconsider our stance, and after years of analysis to ensure we got it right, we agreed it was time to open up this category to create more revenue opportunities for teams.

"Sports betting – and more specifically, esports betting – is a space that more fans choose to engage with every year. According to Sportradar, the total betting turnover globally involving just LoL Esports and VCT reached $10.7 billion in 2024. But here’s the problem: 70 per cent 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."