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Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£35.99View Essential Hardware PC Gaming Show Dune: Awakening Recommended reading Third Person Shooter Marvel Rivals' new Chrono Shield Cards item has divided players and reminded me that some people should just stay in Bronze Gaming Industry The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative is close to its final deadline, and after that, its leader is understandably done: 'Either the frog hops out of the pot, or it's dead' 'We were literally held hostage': Overwatch 2 players are finding the matchmaking in Stadium tough, but the devs say they're working on a couple of solutions Third Person Shooter A new Marvel Rivals item lets you skip losses in ranked and players worry the climb has become meaningless YouTube has started age restricting Balatro videos for alleged gambling-related content, and creator LocalThunk is clearly getting sick of this sort of thing Third Person Shooter 'Strategists face increased pressure': Marvel Rivals devs fold under pressure from the ongoing 'Support Strike' to make Strategists stronger World of Warcraft WoW's idea to clamp down on combat add-ons is misguided, especially since it could keep improving its base experience without, uh, doing that Gaming Industry Riot decides that allowing sports betting sponsorships in top-tier League of Legends and Valorant esports is a good idea Andy Chalk 26 June 2025 It is not a good idea. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Getty Images) Riot Games believes that "building the future of esports means investing in a sustainable ecosystem, not just for today, but for the long run," Riot's president of publishing and esports John Needham said today, and that's why the studio has decided to open the door to "betting sponsorship opportunities" for Tier 1 League of Legends and Valorant teams in the US and EMEA. "We know sports betting isn’t for everyone, and that some fans have strong feelings about it, and we respect that," Needham wrote in today's announcement. "However, the reality is that betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not. "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." Related Articles Marvel Rivals' new Chrono Shield Cards item has divided players and reminded me that some people should just stay in Bronze The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative is close to its final deadline, and after that, its leader is understandably done: 'Either the frog hops out of the pot, or it's dead' 'We were literally held hostage': Overwatch 2 players are finding the matchmaking in Stadium tough, but the devs say they're working on a couple of solutions There sure does seem to be a lot of money on the table. Needham cited figures provided by "sports technology company" Sportradar saying the "total betting turnover" on League of Legends and Valorant esports hit $10.7 billion worldwide in 2024. But 70% of betting across all sports—not just esports—is made in unregulated markets with unlicensed bookies, and Riot figures it's better for all involved if it moves to allow betting sponsorships "thoughtfully, carefully, and with the right protections." That means Riot must vet and approve all potential betting partners before they're allowed to form a relationship with a team; potential betting partners must use official data provided by the GRID platform in their offerings; and all teams must establish an "Internal Integrity Program" that will "ensure competitive integrity, safeguard players and young audiences, [and] update responsible betting practices." While Riot is embracing sports betting, it also seems to be taking steps to ensure it's not really seen to be embracing sports betting. "Riot-owned broadcast and social channels will stay betting-free, which means no ads, no sponsored segments from betting partners, and no betting partner logos on team jerseys," ostensibly to avoid disrupting broadcasts with a flood of sports betting ads, Needham wrote. Individual teams will be left to determine how betting-related content appears within their channels, subject to all applicable guidelines and local laws. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. To put it mildly, I have concerns. The ol' 'it's going to happen anyway so we should ensure it's done right' justification is almost never as high-minded as it's presented, and the real problem with sports gambling isn't that it's unregulated or sketchy, but that it's a scourge. The World Health Organization says that "around 5.5% of women and 11.9% of men globally experience some level of harm from gambling," and cites a Swedish study indicating that people with gambling problems were 15 times more likely to die of suicide than the general population. Despite that, gambling "has been normalized through new commercial associations with sport and cultural activities that are now heavily promoted." Now Riot is going to contribute to that normalization for an audience that skews younger than those of conventional sports, a demographic the WHO says is especially susceptible to "heavy promotion of gambling online." I take some small comfort in seeing that reactions to the announcement on the League of Legends and Valorant Competitive subreddits are not entirely positive. There's a lot of resigned acceptance and some cautious (maybe a little forced) optimism about better revenue shares for Tier 2 teams, but also plenty of concern about the long-term societal impact of endemic sports gambling. The possibility of heightened toxicity or even violence against esports pros at the hands of angry gamblers was also brought up: "It's going to be especially bad for League/Val players since they are way more online than normal sport athletes," redditor CosmicMiru wrote. So it seems like a terrible idea all around, at least for anyone who doesn't stand to make money on it, but Needham concluded by saying Riot believes "showing up in this space—responsibly—is better than letting others define it for us." "We’ve said before that Riot is all in for the long term on our esports, and that means stepping into arenas like sports betting with an objective to both guide and protect our brands from bad actors by establishing what good looks like, while also providing an avenue for teams to benefit financially," he wrote. "With any new endeavor, there will be challenges, and if we need to make adjustments, we will. Please know our overall commitment is to do right by our players, teams, and fans as well as the world-class esports experience that we’ve built together and want to see thrive for years to come." League of Legends Social Links Navigation US News Lead Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill. Marvel Rivals' new Chrono Shield Cards item has divided players and reminded me that some people should just stay in Bronze The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative is close to its final deadline, and after that, its leader is understandably done: 'Either the frog hops out of the pot, or it's dead' 'We were literally held hostage': Overwatch 2 players are finding the matchmaking in Stadium tough, but the devs say they're working on a couple of solutions A new Marvel Rivals item lets you skip losses in ranked and players worry the climb has become meaningless YouTube has started age restricting Balatro videos for alleged gambling-related content, and creator LocalThunk is clearly getting sick of this sort of thing 'Strategists face increased pressure': Marvel Rivals devs fold under pressure from the ongoing 'Support Strike' to make Strategists stronger Latest in Gaming Industry Lost Records developer Don't Nod Montreal lays off an undisclosed number of employees Chris Avellone joins with former Quantic Dream writer to work on a 'dark fantasy' RPG Top-10 Steam game Bongo Cat is 'actually losing us money' says dev, which is fine because it's been great for business: 'Before, we knocked on 50 doors; now, they are coming to us' This month 25 years ago in PC gaming, our biggest concerns were pro gaming, moral panics about violent games… and we still thought Halo was a PC exclusive The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative is close to its final deadline, and after that, its leader is understandably done: 'Either the frog hops out of the pot, or it's dead' Bloodlines 2 developer The Chinese Room has laid off employees, but Paradox says the game is still coming in October Latest in News Lost Records developer Don't Nod Montreal lays off an undisclosed number of employees Dune director Denis Villeneuve will direct the next Bond film for Amazon MGM, despite already being attached to four other upcoming films, including Cleopatra IO Interactive CEO estimates that Hitman 3 only cost a fifth of Hitman 2016's budget because the studio was brave enough to stop making new bathrooms for every game: 'I swore never to do more new toilets' It's not just you—Steam is getting absolutely crushed under the Summer Sale Chris Avellone joins with former Quantic Dream writer to work on a 'dark fantasy' RPG Dying Light 2's new Balatro costume may be the most cursed crossover I've ever seen HARDWARE BUYING GUIDES LATEST GAME REVIEWS Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads Best graphics card for laptops in 2025: the mobile GPUs I'd want in my next gaming laptop Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most Best 14-inch gaming laptop in 2025: The top compact gaming laptops I've held in these hands Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I've tested Razer Iskur V2 X review Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS review AverMedia Live Gamer Ultra S GC553Pro review Peak review: The best kind of co-op game—tricky, rewarding, and absolutely hilarious. 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