Image credit: Riot Games
A massive U-turn.
After the news broke that the developers of VALORANT were reportedly allowing betting sponsors to work with partnered organisations, Riot Games has since come out with a statement stating that it will still not be allowed. This comes after Turkish news outlet, Esporkolik posted a tweet stating that Riot will allow teams to work with betting sponsors in the near future.
This would have signalled a dramatic shift in the current policies Riot has in place, especially when it came to working with betting companies, which have always been off-limits. And with the newly-established VCT franchised league starting in a few weeks, Riot will be looking to stick to the VCT global competitive policy rulebook, which lists gambling partnerships as one of the prohibited sponsors.
According to a Riot representative, "while there has been no change in the current policy regarding approved team sponsor categories, we will continue to evaluate all opportunities that deliver safe, secure, and meaningful experiences that best support the growth of our esports ecosystem globally.” The spokesperson has also gone on to add that Riot will remain committed to investing in opportunities that ensure the integrity of all our esports while enabling great experiences for fans as well as unlocking new streams of revenue for the teams.
While gambling and betting sponsors are nothing new in the world of professional sports, it is still a conundrum of sorts when it comes to esports. Many teams within the realm of esports have been or are still currently sponsored by some of the biggest gambling and betting sites
League of Legends has already had these sorts of issues back in the day with Ninjas in Pyjamas, who were forced to drop Betway as one of their sponsors after having joined the EU LCS. Gambling and betting are seen as modern-day vices for teenagers and kids who are the main target audience for both VALORANT and LoL, it's easy to see why Riot doesn't want to have any form of representation from these sponsors.
