Riot Games Leaning Into Gambling?

And some other interesting personal anecdotes and recent news of some importance...

Dec 16, 2024

This is going to sound like an absolute instance of insanity but I spent Sunday helping (as best I could) put a roof on a house. It was a real challenge because my lower back has been shot since 2017 (I did a three year stint as a home builder’s helper before joining The Esports Observer at the end of 2018), so climbing ladders and lifting things is an absolute exercise in pain management. Despite the agony and the frequent stops to let that pain subside, we got what we needed to get done in the hopper, and it’s a good thing too because we are due for a snow storm that leaves a substantial footprint behind.

Yeah, yeah, I have some health issues but I'm not going to lie down and give up. Life doesn’t pause because you face challenges, there’s still shit to do and I’m going to do until I can’t.

I have to add that I am so thankful for having such a great family. Yeah we’re an obtuse gaggle of wise asses that rib each other constantly, argue about inane bullshit, and don’t always get along, but when the chips are down, we show up for each other and help out.

Anyway that’s how I spent my weekend, and surprisingly i’m not feeling any pain at 6 a.m. local time on a Monday morning (later in the day update - still feeling good). I’m more concerned about making it through seven appointments this week crammed into two days than I am about spending a few hours trying to move like I used to…

I’m sure you are already so tired of hearing about my cancer journey, and in the grand scheme of things it's not a major event compared to others that have had much worse cancer, but i’m sharing it with you because you are part of my extended family. Thank you so much for your continued support (I can’t say that enough times, so I hope you don’t get tired of hearing it).

Let’s talk about some news – James.

TOP STORIES

Riot Games Opens Up to Gambling as a Sponsorship Category for Valorant, LoL Esports

Following a move earlier this year to consider including CBD, alcohol, and governments as sponsorship categories, the company appears to be open to adding gambling into the mix.

Following a social media post from esports personality and content creator Christopher Kjell Mykles (better known to the world as MonteCristo) pointing out that Riot Games would be opening up sponsorship/categories for professional teams in both League of Legends and Valorant esports in 2025, Riot Games COO of Esports Whalen Rozelle confirmed that there has been some private conversations with partnered LoL Esports and VCT teams in Americas and EMEA on the topic. In summation, MonteCristo's post was correct.

The Esports Advocate reported on Riot's stance on the gambling category earlier this year and the challenges related to them (including the splintered nature of gambling in a number of jurisdictions). Gambling is ultra complicated in the United States as each state has its own set of rules, regulations, and limitations on gambling, and that each jurisdiction requires separate licensing requirements. READ MORE.

WillPower Digital Sports, HealthyGaming Team Up for U.S. Initiatives

WillPower Digital Sports and HealthyGaming announced a partnership that will see them collaborate on a number of initiatives, educational endeavors, and even a series of competitive tournaments in the United States—all aimed at schools, universities and colleges.

The organizations will begin working together starting in 2025 on projects that educate schools, colleges, universities, and grassroots organizations in the U.S. interested in competitive gaming, and on addressing the dangers of bad gaming-related behavior, learning methods for fostering healthy gaming environments, the perils of gaming addiction, and more. READ MORE.

Rocket League Returns to the Esports World Cup in 2025

Epic Games’ Rocket League is the latest game to be named an official competitive title of the Esports World Cup—the Saudi Arabian government-funded, eight-week esports competition taking place in the summer of 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The football-meets-competitive-car-combat game joins other titles that have already been confirmed for the event including Activision Blizzard’s hero shooter Overwatch 2 football game EA FC 25, MOONTON’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Level Infinite and Krafton’s mobile battle royale game PUBG Mobile, EA’s PC-based battle royale game Apex Legends, Ubisoft’s tactical team-based shooter Rainbow Six Siege, Valve’s MOBA Dota 2, Capcom’s Street Fighter 6, SEA LTD’s popular PC and mobile battle royal game Free Fire, Tencent’s MOBA Honor of Kings, Valve’s tactical team-based shooter Counter-Strike 2, and Activision Blizzard’s first-person shooters Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty Warzone. READ MORE.