Gaming

Riot Games are going to let their top League Of Legends and Valorant esports teams receive sponsorship from gambling companies, in a bid to snaffle up some of the billion dollar unofficial sports betting scene that surrounds both games.

The publishers promise that they'll put appropriate "guardrails" in place to ensure that streams of tournaments aren't suddenly overrun by shady gambling ads, and to protect players and viewers from the psychological impacts of gambling. They even think it'll be beneficial to the community, in supposedly giving Riot more control of the existing esports gambling business. But the overriding rationale here is very much 'this is a big dirty pie and we'd rather like a slice'.

The change in policy will only apply to tier 1 League of Legends and Valorant teams in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "We know sports betting isn't for everyone, and that some fans have strong feelings about it, and we respect that," Riot's head of publishing and esports John Needham explains in a blog post. "However, the reality is that betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not.