Riot Games has held discussions with Kalshi and Polymarket over possible esports sponsorship deals, bringing two of the largest prediction market operators into talks around League of Legends and VALORANT. People familiar with the private discussions told Bloomberg that no agreement has been finalized. Kalshi declined to comment, while Polymarket did not respond to Bloomberg’s request.
Riot spokesperson Joe Hixson said the company is evaluating prediction markets while considering competitive integrity, potential value for teams, fan experience, and how any deal would fit within its wider esports business. Any approved prediction market sponsor would also have to use GRID Esports as its source for official betting data.
Riot opened betting sponsorships to Tier 1 League of Legends and VALORANT teams in the Americas and EMEA in June 2025, reversing its previous policy of keeping gambling companies out of the category. Every potential betting partner has to pass Riot’s approval process, while participating teams must maintain internal integrity programs covering player protection, competitive integrity, and responsible betting.
Riot-owned broadcasts and social channels remain free of betting advertising under those rules, and gambling sponsor logos cannot appear on team jerseys during official competition. Teams can run betting-related sponsorship content through their own channels within Riot guidelines and local laws, while part of Riot’s revenue from the program is directed toward Tier 2 tournaments, prize pools, and integrity initiatives.
League of Legends and VALORANT generated $10.7 billion in global betting turnover during 2024, based on Sportradar figures cited by Riot when it introduced the sponsorship policy. The figure represents total wagers placed, not revenue earned by Riot, teams, or sportsbooks. Riot also cited estimates that around 70% of betting across all sports takes place through unregulated operators, one of the reasons it chose to allow approved betting companies into its esports ecosystem.
Polymarket already works directly with GRID after signing a partnership in June that added official esports data, live streams, and match visualizations to its prediction market platform. GRID distributes official League of Legends and VALORANT data directly from Riot’s game servers, meaning Polymarket already uses the data infrastructure Riot requires from approved betting sponsors.
Kalshi has also expanded its esports products during 2026. A March filing with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission covers event contracts based on individual player statistics during esports matches, adding to the company’s existing markets on competitive gaming outcomes. Kalshi has simultaneously increased its presence in traditional sports through sponsorship and data agreements, putting it into direct competition with Polymarket for league and event partnerships.
The NFL has taken a more cautious position on prediction market sponsorships, leaving Kalshi and Polymarket out when it renewed its agreements with DraftKings and FanDuel and added Fanatics before the 2026 season. The league has raised concerns with the CFTC over regulation, game integrity, and some types of sports event contracts, showing that major sports organizations are still taking very different approaches to the sector.
The League of Legends World Championship begins in October, giving Riot one of its largest annual esports events shortly after the talks became public. Riot has not approved Kalshi or Polymarket as sponsors, and its existing policy would still require either company to pass its vetting process and use official GRID data before a deal could move forward.